Another album that has been kicking around in my "pile" of records for about 20 years. I recall listening to it some time ago and putting a few songs on cassette but I wasn't convinced I should get rid of it, so here it is, again.
Central to The Sidewinders is Andy Paley who has worn many hats in the music industry but is mainly recognised for his role as a producer from the late 70s on Madonna, The Ramones, Jonathan Richman, Debbie Harry, Brian Wilson, NRBQ, Mighty Lemon Drops, Jerry Lee Lewis and others.
Here, he is the vocalist and the main songwriter and his influence on the band comes clearly through on the record. On first blush the artists he produced later may appear to be diverse but this record certainly indicates that his producing tastes aren't necessarily based on monetary concerns but on personal taste, because on this record the band under his leadership cover many styles from the 50s through to the 70s though all are anchored in straight ahead rock and powerpop largely reflecting the acts he would produce later on. He also had a powerpop combo in the late 70s with his brother Jonathan, "The Paley Brothers". He obviously has a thorough knowledge of rock history.
By way of bio, http://www.webcitation.org/5knI5ap1B: Meanwhile, in or around the summer of 1970, we find a Biddeford, Maine, rock ensemble called Catfish Black. Band members were Harvard students, and they returned there in the fall, filling a few trial musical engagements. Around that time, Jimmy Mahoney left the group; and drummer Andy Paley replaced him as lead vocalist. Suzie Adams soon became the band's manager. Apparently it was about the same time that the group recorded a demo tape at the MIT student union … Sometime after that, two other members, Ernie Brooks and Jerry Harrison, left the band. The next news of these two that we caught was really not much later when they were members of the fabled Modern Lovers … In 1971, Richard Robinson got Catfish Black some bookings at Max's Kansas City in New York. After reaching New York, members of Catfish Black caught wind of another group with a similar name; so they collectively rechristened themselves the Sidewinders, taking that name from the Roger McGuinn song, "Chestnut Mare." Not much later, the group was signed to RCA Records … A week before recording started, producer-to-be Richard Robinson was replaced by future Patti Smith guitarist, Lenny Kaye. It is said that David Bowie stopped by the sessions. The album jacket names these members of the Sidewinders: Leigh Lisowski, Andy Paley, Mike Reed, Eric Rosenfeld, Henry Stern … Far from a commercial success, nonetheless The Sidewinders (LP, RCA, 1972) seems to have been a critics' record, achieving favorable reviews in Circus, Creem, Rolling Stone, and Variety …The Sidewinders history, which seems sketchy at best, becomes quite murky at this point. Band members auditioned a host of guitarists. We are told that the Sidewinders were informed that Billy Squier was their new guitarist, though no mention is made of who did the telling … The Sidewinders broke up. End of story. Right? Not hardly. Young punk rockers in suburban garages and in the lofts and basements of Boston heard these guys and liked and understood the music. This wasn't another boogie band cranking out da blooze in the region's bars. This was something different. This was stuff younger musicians and fans could call their own. The band was gone, but its music was still doing its work.
The last paragraph is particularly relevant as it seems clear that the music was influential on subsequent punk acts. Though punk can be traced back to The Saints, Rocket from the Tombs, New York Dolls, and The Ramones and then even further back to the MC5 and The Stooges, (any further back and there may be the punk energy in individual acts though not the direct stylistic influence IMHO), what is unacknowledged on punk is the less aggressive and more straight forward rock (powerpop) acts that influenced it like Grin (with Nils Lofgren), Earthquake, Big Star, The Nerves, Cheap Trick, The Sneakers, The Flamin Groovies and even Bruce Springsteen. What they shared were songs that were short, sharp, in your face, and punchy. Which, in the early to mid 70s … a decade of glam excess, bloated jazz rock fusion, ponderous prog rock pretentious, middle of the road country rock and all forms of disco, sounded quite revolutionary and progressive, despite the fact that lyrically the music rarely rises above boy + girl songs.
This album is a beautifully constructed and I think an obvious homage to a lot of 60s American music and not just the obvious references. There is Brill building pop, frenzied instrumentals, some early 60s doo wop, Beach Boys harmonies, sunshine pop, up tempo Byrds jangle and a lot of powerpop …
allmusic defines power pop as: Power Pop is a cross between the crunching hard rock of the Who and the sweet melodicism of the Beatles and Beach Boys, with the ringing guitars of the Byrds thrown in for good measure. Although several bands of the early '70s — most notably the Raspberries, Big Star, and Badfinger — established the sound of power pop, it wasn't until the late '70s that a whole group of like-minded bands emerged.
Despite my general antipathy to the generally overrated The Who (their best album is Daltry's first solo album – ha!) I would still say I disagree with that statement anyway. Yes, the Beach Boys, Beatles and Byrds are all here to be heard but they have all been sped up as a sign of the times rather than crossbred with any The Who's "crunching hard rock". The Who's crunch is coming from a different place amyway.
None of the songs on this LP are bad and some are positively catchy. The production by Lenny Kaye (later guitarist for the Patti Smith Group and the liner note writer to the original "Nuggets" compilation) is low fi, un-fussy and very un–70s, which just serves to accentuate the tunes. In its scope, without any concessions to modernity (circa 1972) this album is refreshing and ironically quite prophetic. (In tone this album is strikingly similar to Grins work of about the same time or Nils Lofgren's magnificent self titled debut album from 1975).
Tracks (best in italics)
Side 1
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Bad Dreams – a perfect start to the band and a perfect example of power pop.
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Superhit – a staple of power pop – a song about young love.
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Moonshine – a beautiful homage to early 60s Gary Lewis type pop.
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The Bumble Bee – the much covered (usually live with many variations on the name) Rimsky-Korsakov classical composition: Jose Feliciano, Jean-Jacques Perrey. This here seems to be a arranged much like the amped up B Bumble and the Stingers (Kim Fowley's) version from the early 60s … though there is a bit of Dick Dale in there also. Though there was a bit of Dick Dale in the B Bumble version also.
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Told You So – a Flamin Groovies type rave up – like "Teenage Head" but without the nastiness.
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Rendezvous – now I know this sounds like something … I think maybe a Grin song that post dates it. Again in tone its a mid-60 California pop ballad like Gary Lewis especially in the middle bridge.
Side 2
Side Two side tends to lean more to the 70s in style and, putting aside my preference for the 60s, this side is still slightly weaker than the first.
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O Miss Mary – another perfect example of perfect power pop
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Got You Down – another track that could have been on a Knack or Romantics album 8 or 9 years later.
Take a Look at you room
and take a look at your life
You say that you'll be leaving soon
but I know that's a lie
So when you get up to go
you wont have to tell me
I'll know
cause
I've got you down
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Slip Away – a bit of Paul McCartney in this ballad … it's a pity it's too long.
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Reputation – another boy / girl type power pop rave-up.
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Parade – a fitting closing to the album – a statement of faith in the future much like "Better Things" on the Kinks masterpiece of mainstream power-rock from 1981, "Give the People What they Want". Though this could have used a little more production.
And …
Edgar Willow in the notes that accompany the compilation "Boston Incest Album" (1980) said: Many long-time observers of the music scene consider the Sidewinders to have been the best Boston band of the early seventies (if not the decade).
i would have to say on the strength of this album he has a point.
I'm keeping this.
Sounds
Bad Dreams
The Bumble Bee
Rendezvous
The Bumble Bee
Rendezvous
attached
Bio
(originally posted: 13/02/2010)
