The V.I.P.'s - I Need Somebody To Love

Record 1 - A. Need Somebody To Love


Record 1 - B. One More Chance


Record 2 - A1. Stuttgart Special


Record 2 - B1. Who Knows


Record 2 - B2. Janine


THE V.I.P.'S (United Kingdom)
Need Somebody To Love b/w One More Chance
Plus bonus "Beat Crazy EP" - Stuttgart Special b/w Who Knows/Janine
GEM (GEMS-43), 1980

The VIP's released a string of terrific and very diverse singles in the early 80's. This one is my favorite, as it really showcases how dynamic the band was. "Need Somebody To Love" and "One More Chance" are pure power pop perfection with strong musicianship, crisp, clear recordings, beautiful instrument tones, and tight harmonies. The single came with a bonus "Beat Crazy" EP which features more straight forward punk tracks "Stuttgart Special" and "Who Knows" which are almost unrecognizably performed by the same group. The EP finishes with the ever so catchy "Janine."

These tracks along with the rest of the band's singles were all compiled on a short-run import LP entitled "Beat Crazy." Their entire works are impressive, spanning the musical spectrum with should-have-been power pop hits like "Quarter Moon," a cover of "Hippy Hippy Shake" to appease the mod following they unintentionally acquired, and more comedic songs like "Causing Complications" as seen below.

"Need Somebody To Love" was comped on Powerpearls #8.

The Jags - Dumb Blonde

A. Woman's World


B. Dumb Blonde


THE JAGS (Scarborough, England)
Woman's World b/w Dumb Blonde
Island (WIP-6531), 1980

The Jags released a 12" EP, two full length albums, and five singles in the few years they were a band. Pretty much everything they put out is worth owning, and being that they were on a major label, the vinyl is fairly easy to find and usually inexpensive. Of all the bands that adopted the quintessential early Elvis Costello vocal style, the Jags really perfected it, adding clever, witty lyrics, strong musicianship, and hooks galore.

Lead vocalist/guitarist Nick Watkinson and long time pal John Alder (lead guitar/vocals) started a songwriting partnership in early '77, which eventually evolved into forming a band in the summer of the following year. After a brief period of rehearsals in Wales, the group moved to London and secured a contract with Island Records after just three gigs! Shortly after that, with their second bassist Steve Prudence in tow, they went from playing lousy support gigs to hitting the road on their own headlining club tour. But difficulties finding the right drummer persisted, including fist-throwing altercations on stage, until they found Alex Baird (who played with Midge Ure in Stumble, and later in the Banned -> does anyone know if this is the same Banned that did the "Little Girl" and "Him Or Me" singles?).

The first Jags release was a four song 12" featuring "Back Of My Hand" and "Single Vision," which were later released as a single and re-recorded for their debut album "Evening Standard," but the 12" also had two tracks which never appeared elsewhere, "Double Vision" and "What Can I Do." The "Back Of My Hand" single had a 10 week chart life in the UK, peaking at number 17. At the time of its release, that is all they had recorded and it was some time before "Evening Standard" was put out.

"Woman's World" was their second single and it grazed the charts for one week before falling off. This is my favorite single because not only is the A-side excellent, but I think the B-Side is one of their best songs and it's only available on this record. The band later released one more single off their first album, "Party Games," but it never charted.

"No Tie Like A Present" was the bands second LP, and they produced two singles off that one, which both failed to chart as well: "I Never Was A Beach Boy" and “The Sound Of G-O-O-D-B-Y-E.” Island mis-credited the song "Here Comes My Baby" as the band's own, when it was originally penned/performed by Cat Stevens and later a hit by the Tremeloes. Their sophomore effort isn't as strong as their earlier work, as I believe the band was starting to crumble with personnel changes, the addition of keyboards, and a slight change in musical direction (admittedly trying NOT to sound like Costello), but it's still enjoyable.

"Dumb Blonde" was featured on Powerpearls Volume 2.

Back To Zero - Your Side Of Heaven

A. Your Side Of Heaven


B. Back To Back


BACK TO ZERO (London, England)
Your Side Of Heaven b/w Back To Back
Fiction (FICS-004), 1979

Back To Zero were forerunners of the British mod-revival movement. Formed in 1978, they lasted just a short while with various line-up changes and only have this one single to carry their legacy. But what a terrific pair of songs they left in their wake.

The record was produced by Chris Parry, who also did outstanding work with the Purple Hearts, on his own Fiction Records label. Fiction, which is now owned by Universal, is best known for boosting the career of the Cure. Back To Zero was one of the earliest singles released on the label.

During their heyday, Back To Zero played regularly with Secret Affair, The Chords, Purple Hearts and other great mod bands of the time until they vanished in 1980. "Your Side Of Heaven" was comped on a terrific mod revival collection called Unsung Heroes, released on Unicorn records in 1988.

The Sidewalks - Natalie

A. Natalie


B. Whoever Said That You Was Cool


THE SIDEWALKS (Milwaukee, WI)
Natalie b/w Whoever Said That You Was Cool
Flying Scooter (FSR-001), 1981

Giving birth to The Shivvers, The Haskels, The Wigs, and many others, Milwaukee was a hot bed of fresh, creative, musical talent in the late 70s. The Sidewalks were no exception. Formed in the summer of '79, they drew motivation from new wave standouts such as Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, and Joe Jackson, as well as punk groups like The Ramones and The Clash. They also shared a love for British Invasion bands including The Kinks, The Who, and The Stones. Over time, they defined their sound by playing obscure pop covers alongside original songs in the same vein musically, but with socially relevant lyrics.

Though the band persevered for a three year period with several line-up changes and numerous trips to the recording studio, this single remains the only material the band released before their demise. It received local acclaim and airplay, and was even distributed by Bomp, but the band never got the break they needed and eventually gave up. Both sides of this record are pure pop perfection and it's a shame the band was not more successful.

Several years ago, Hyped2Death released an entire retrospective CD of the Sidewalks recorded material, entitled "Ryhthm Kids." A few years later, Italian label Rave Up issued it on LP in a limited run. Most recently, the band released a collection of material themselves called "Here Are The Sidewalks," which is available through CDBaby and Itunes. It's the first time their material has been available as digital downloads. I highly recommend picking it up as the rest of this band's material is exceptional and deserves to be heard.

Gary Valentine - The First One

A. The First One


B. Tomorrow Belongs To You


GARY VALENTINE (Los Angeles, CA)
The First One b/w Tomorrow Belongs To You
Beat (001), 1978

Gary Valentine joined Blondie in their early stages at the recommendation of his friend Clem Burke. He even penned their first hit, "X-Offender," but left the group in 1977 following the release of their debut album. Blondie's second LP, Plastic Letters, included another of Gary's songs, "Presence, Dear," though he did not perform on the recording.

After moving to LA, Gary commissioned members of the Mumps to help him record two songs that he had written shortly before leaving Blondie. Paying them in sandwiches, the group recorded two astonishingly perfect power pop songs, "The First One" and "Tomorrow Belongs To You." The single was released on the Beat label in two pressings, both of which came with a lyric insert that I've seen in atleast two different colors of paper.

It should be noted that "The First One" was performed live by the Blondie in the final days before he left the group, though they never did record it in a studio. In the years that followed, Gary's version of the song would be comped numerous times and hailed as a power pop masterpiece.

Shortly after the release of the single, Gary regrouped with Richard D'andrea from The Motels and Joel Turrisi to form The Know. Their song "I Like Girls" was recorded for a Planet Records compilation LP called Sharp Cuts and later released as a single backed with "Out Of Reach" on the same label.

The band divided their time equally between California and New York. But without being able to score a major label deal, The Know finally disbanded after a couple years of constant gigging. Gary went on to play guitar with Iggy Pop's touring band for a couple years and eventually moved to England, while Joel went on to play with 20/20 before trying his hand at acting.

Gary was asked to participate on Blondie's 1997 reunion tour and comeback album, but was ultimately given the boot. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of Blondie, but fierce words were exchanged on stage and Debbie Harry refused to allow him to play the induction event, stating former members (including Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante) were not allowed to play in her band (more on that story here).

Valentine is now a full time writer, having recently published a book called New York Rocker, which documented the emerging NYC new wave scene in the mid 70s. He also has numerous books and papers published about the occult and other mystic topics.

Great Buildings - Combat Zone

Combat Zone


Hold On To Something


GREAT BUILDINGS (Los Angeles, CA)
Combat Zone b/w Hold On To Something
Columbia (11-02008), 1981

This single has two songs taken from Great Buildings' sole LP, Apart From The Crowd. The band features former Quick members Danny Wilde on guitar/vocals and Ian Ainsworth on bass. The band formed in mid-1978 but didn't release this single and their LP until 1981. Despite touring and having major label support, they never received critical acclaim and dissolved a year later. Several years after that, lead guitarist Phil Solem and Wilde started up the Rembrandts and had much success with their #1 hit and Friends theme-song "I'll Be There For You."

Both cuts on this single are great power pop intended for the commercial consumer. You could definitely hear how this is the transition between The Quick and The Rembrandts. My copy has the band's name misspelled on the label as Great Building, singular, on both sides. I've only ever seen other ones as promo copies which feature the same sleeve, but "Hold On" is on both sides and the band name is spelled correctly. A 12" also exists that has these two songs along with "Maybe It's You," which is another cut featured on the band's Apart From The Crowd album.

Last week, after nearly 30 years in the vault, the band's sophomore effort, Extra Epic Everything, was finally released on CD, along with a bonus track originally intended for the first record. Also, Mondo Deco, the monumental Quick LP from 1976 was recently reissued by Radio Heartbeat on vinyl!

Baloney Heads - I'm A Drunk

A. I'm A Drunk


B1. Life's Rough


B2. D.T.'s Reprise


THE BALONEY HEADS (Cleveland, OH)
I'm A Drunk b/w Life's Rough/D.T.'s Reprise
O-No (NR-12007), 1980

From the opening warning of "O-No, it's the Baloney Heads!" to the British accents and chantable "I'm a drunk, I'm a drunk" choruses, this Ohio single reigns supreme in the category of dumb punk. In fact, "I'm A Drunk" was comped on Bloodstains Across The Midwest.

On the flip side, "Life's Rough" is a solid punk tune that comes across as a sinister take of "What I Like About You," complete with hand claps. The record closes with "DT's Reprise," a bizarre flange-induced, backwards-sounding, almost psychedelic reworking of the title track.

Although this five-piece from Cleveland received some local airplay on WMMS and were around from 1978 until 1982, they only ever released this one unforgettable single on their own "O-No" record label. They played a reunion show in 1988 to celebrate their 10 year anniversary.