Slumgullion #35

It's been a long time, been a long time, been a lonely, lonely, - - - but I finally have another Slumgullion ready.

Those of us who enjoy Mary E. Donnelly’s contributions to the cool PowerPop blog run by Steve Simels are looking forward to Boys Don’t Lie, the book she’s written about the band Shoes. Due to be published from Pure Pop Press next Spring, the book covers this essential group’s entire history, including the Elektra LPs that should have become best sellers.

Legendary Rock Stars, which includes former Material Issue bassist Ted Ansani, will be performing at the Bad Monkey Bar & Grill in Algonquin at 10PM tonight. Next weekend, Ansani’s cover band, Diving for Dynamite, will play an all ages show at 7PM at Bogie’s Ale House as part of Mount Prospect’s Octoberfest. There is no cover charge.

Terri Hemmert’s recent two-part Breakfast With The Beatles tribute to John Lennon on the occasion of what would have been his 70th birthday was yet another example of why she remains one of Chicago’s favorite radio personalities. Hemmert, who has been on WXRT since the 1970s, was recently inducted into The National Radio Hall Of Fame. An official ceremony, including cocktails and dinner will take place on November 6th at the WTTW Studios at 5400 N. St. Louis Avenue in Chicago. There will be a live broadcast of the ceremony starting at 9:00PM. For information, check out the Radio Hall Of Fame website.

Last Rites will present its third annual two-day Halloween Fest at The Abbey on the weekend of October 29th/30th. Once again, a number of local artists will be paying tribute to well-known performers. Those of us who caught the Fest last year know it’s a blast, and this year’s lineup definitely looks promising. On the 29th, Tomorrow The Moon will explore its dark side as Pink Floyd; Penthouse Sweets will kover The Kinks; Ellis Clark and Epicycle will become The Beatles; Who’s This Mary will appear as The Cure, Canasta covers Elton John, and Sentinels will kick out the jams as MC5. The equally enticing 30th bill features ZZ Listening as ZZ Top; Phil Angotti as Buddy Holly; The Webstirs as The Beach Boys; The Delafields as New Order; Curtis Evans as Nirvana; and Androstache as The Pretenders.

Roxy Swain, a co-ed band that evokes The Bangles and Continental Drifters on its recently released impressive full-length debut The Spell Of Youth, has an upcoming gig at Martyr’s on Lincoln Avenue on October 28th.

Singer-guitarist Jimmy Herter, who’s one of several reasons The New Invaders are one of the area’s better 1960s tribute bands, has a solo gig at the Prime Time Restaurant and Bar at 7750 W. 95th Street in Hickory Hills tonight. The show starts at 9:30. Yell out some Hollies requests and tell him Broken Hearted Toy sent you.

It’s Beginning To Rock A Lot Like Christmas as Kool Kat Musik unwraps its A Kool Kat Kristmas compilation. The CD features Maple Mars, The Britannicas, Paralax Project, Jellybricks, Frank Royster, and other acts.

A Peek Under The Covers

The 2001 Parasol Records release Shoe Fetish - A Tribute To Shoes brought together 22 artists to honor the Zion, Illinois power pop band. The participants included Matthew Sweet, Bobby Sutliff, Sparkle* Jets UK, The Spongetones, The Shazam, and Big Hello.

One of the CD’s best tracks was a cover of “Never Had It Better” by the California-based outfit The Tearaways, and their guest vocalist Scott McCarl. It was a brilliant adaptation that pumped up the Beatles influence that had inspired the original until it sounded like it could have come from Rubber Soul or Revolver. The tempo is faster than the one used by Shoes when they recorded “Never Had It Better” for their Stolen Wishes album, with ringing guitars and great harmonies.

McCarl, who also worked in a later version of The Raspberries, and recorded the solo Play On in 1998, unleashed some authentic John Lennon wailing as The Tearaways raced to the finish line, and the song ends with a recreation of Lennon saying The Beatles could have just as easily called themselves Shoes. The Tearaways released Beat Yer Own Mersey in 2006 and continue to perform live.

Incidentally, when I interviewed Jeff Murphy, John Murphy, and Gary Klebe of Shoes for the Illinois Entertainer prior to the release of Stolen Wishes in 1990, they told me they hadn’t even been aware of Lennon’s remark until they heard it on the ABC TV special Heroes Of Rock in 1979.

Vintage Publication Spotlight #10

The latest entry in an ongoing series devoted to magazines of the past.

This issue of Action Plus! was released in early 1982, and exuded a true ‘zine attitude with a basic black and white layout, very few photos, and typewriter style print. It’s Volume 1, No.1, and I have no idea how many other issues were published. Its editor/publisher was Paul Hippensteel, who was based in Robinson, Illinois, and apparently he had contributors as well as correspondents. The first page stated that the publication was “Dedicated To The Principle That Rock ‘N Roll Would Not Be Possible Without Electricity.”

Twenty three of the magazine’s 36 pages were devoted to The Hollies, and Hippensteel offered an extensive history of the band, from the early performances of Graham Nash and Allan Clarke as The Two Teens to the plans for a reunion album with Nash in 1983. He wisely preferred their more energetic material to the ballads, and dismissed A Crazy Steal as The Hollies’ weakest album of the 70s, noting “too much emphasis was placed on the softer side of the group’s sound, resulting in a rather tedious and overproduced outing.” Overall, Hippensteel was an obvious fan and his insights into The Hollies’ career were consistently interesting.

Action Plus! also had an article comparing Shindig! and Hullabaloo that included a show by show listing for each program over two seasons. It was amazing how many of the biggest acts of the 1960s were among the guests.

WUEV FM radio personality Mike Zikmund contributed an interesting interview with drummer Skip Meyer from Zion, Illinois power pop legends, Shoes that was conducted shortly after the band released its impressive second effort, Tongue Twister. Meyer conceded that some musicians resented Shoes for getting signed to a major label without having played extensively on the club scene, but he maintained that he, Jeff Murphy, John Murphy, and Gary Klebe had paid their dues in a different way, through all the hours they spent in the studio.

The only ad in Action Plus! was on the back cover, and it promoted a Hollies concert at the Wembley Conference Centre in England. I have a suspicion Hippensteel simply put it there because he thought it looked cool, and the band didn’t pay for it.

Yuletunes - Part Three

The fact that over half of the songs on the Yuletunes CD deal with Christmas and romance is probably due to the fact that these power pop artists are accustomed to dealing with affairs of the heart. Besides, the holidays are such an emotionally-charged time of year, it only seems natural to seek companionship. Finding love brings even more joy to your world, while losing it can be peace-on-earth-shattering.

Songs don’t come much happier than Bill Lloyd’s “Underneath The Christmas Tree,” which depicts a guy and his girlfriend spending an evening decorating their tannenbaum. Set to a catchy, guitars and drums arrangement, it sounds like it could have been a 1960s Top 40 hit. Lloyd conveys the holiday fun with lines like, “Tinsel in your hair, presents everywhere” and “You’re a sight to see underneath the Christmas tree.”

Meanwhile, Kelley Ryan is inconsolable on the somber ballad, “It’s Not Christmas,” as she spends the holiday alone “for the first time in years.” For Ryan, whose emotional vocals display a hint of Country & Western, all of the season’s colorful traditions have turned a deep blue. It’s not clear why the longtime beau is no longer there, but a reference to her looking longingly at the phone suggests there’s hope for a reconciliation. Like Spooner’s contribution to Yuletunes, “It’s Not Christmas” is a well-crafted song that leaves you wondering just when you would want to play it.

Singer-guitarist Herb Eimerman’s gorgeous ballad “You Gave Me” celebrates family traditions at Christmas, as well as the way love and values are passed on from one generation to another. The lyrics take us to a festive holiday gathering at the parents’ home where their children and grandchildren bask in “the love from this fine house.” Eimerman compares himself to a tree that has grown stronger over the years and tells his Mom and Dad, “I learned all my love from all your love you gave me.” I’ve always felt this touching song could become a seasonal favorite if it was ever given enough air play on the radio. Eimerman is currently a member of The Britannicas, whose new holiday song, “Chris Hillman Christmas” can be purchased on the band’s MySpace page.

The Critics uncork an irresistible energy reminiscent of The Beatles on the romantic “She Feels Like Christmas Day.” This is probably the only song on Yuletunes that would fit in just as well on a non-holiday CD, if you consider the way the band uses Christmas, and lines like, “Let me be your favorite toy” as a metaphor for the overwhelming joy of finding love.

It’s a shame that Yuletunes, with its treasure chest of holiday songs, never became a big selling CD. As I mentioned in the Yuletunes - Part Two post, it’s still listed as available on The Shoes’ Black Vinyl Records website, and I would highly recommend getting a copy.

Yuletunes - Part Two

Photo from The Spongetones website.

The four songs on today’s post illustrate how lead vocalist-guitarist Jeff Murphy of The Shoes couldn’t have anticipated the mixed bag he’d wind up with when he bravely asked a variety of musical artists to participate on his Christmas compilation, Yuletunes. Incidentally, this thoroughly enjoyable disc is still listed as available on the Black Vinyl Records website.

“The Saddest Time Of The Year” comes from Spooner, the Wisconsin-based band that featured lead vocalist-guitarist Duke Erikson and drummer Butch Vig long before they formed Garbage with dynamic Scottish chanteuse, Shirley Manson. The haunting arrangement, and Erikson’s guitar playing in particular, make this reflection on disappointment and loneliness at Christmas even more melancholy. It’s not a song to play while exchanging gifts, but its poignant message might make you consider the plight of the less fortunate among us.

The Cavedogs were a Boston band that according to Wikipedia, often mixed comedy with its catchy pop music. That’s certainly the case with “3 Wise Men And A Baby (Xmas Song),” a funny and ambitious epic that begins with a sound bite of Burl Ives’ talking snowman from the Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer animated special. About halfway through, the guitar-driven song abruptly shifts into a lounge act reminiscent of the bit Bill Murray used to do on Saturday Night Live. The rollicking finale finds the band singing “alleluia” against a backdrop of George Bailey scolding his kids in It’s A Wonderful Life.

The Spongetones take us to a much more tranquil place with their acoustic-based, innocent fantasy “Christmasland.” While they had shown an ability to mimic The Beatles on their own albums, here The Spongetones craft an old-fashioned Christmas tune with a delicate melody and intricately layered vocals. It was great to hear via the Absolute Powerpop blog that Spongetones members Jamie Hoover and Steve Stoeckel have just released a new CD called English Afterthought that follows in the Spongetones tradition.

Listening to “A God Of My Own” by the Chicago trio 92 Degrees requires some thought since it’s a complex look at religious beliefs at what is undoubtedly the most commercial time of the year. The lyrics, “You go your way and have a Merry Christmas/I’ll go my way and have a Merry Christmas,” express a tolerant attitude that’s sometimes lacking when it comes to matters of faith. With its ringing guitars, the mid-tempo “A God Of My Own” has the British Invasion influence the band tapped into on its 1990 EP, Money Makes The World Go ‘Round. 92 Degrees would go on to record a first-rate full length debut a few years later, and the original line-up still makes the occasional live appearance to this day.

Coming up in Yuletunes - Part Three: Holiday romance, holiday heartache, and family traditions.

Yuletunes - Part One

Once upon a time, before the retail industry ordained Black Friday as an extreme sports event for crazed bargain hunters, the day after Thanksgiving held significance as the official start of the Christmas season. It is in that antiquated spirit that I’m kicking off a series of posts related to holiday music.

Released in 1991 on The Shoes' Black Vinyl label, Yuletunes was an ambitious collection of original Christmas songs created by various power pop artists. Matthew Sweet, who contributed “Baby Jesus,” and Marti Jones and Don Dixon, who sang a duet on “Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday,” were the biggest names involved, and there were 13 lesser known acts from the Midwest. This will be the first of three posts on this classic Christmas album.

The Shoes had faded from rock’s mainstream by 1991, but “This Christmas” shows why they’ll always be revered in the power pop community. It’s a catchy rock song with a monster drum beat and chiming guitars that offers an optimistic view via harmony vocals. “Things will get better./Doesn’t seem like it now, but they always do.” Vocalist-guitarist Jeff Murphy would return to the theme of the importance of love over gifts during the holidays by having his kids sing the cute “The Christmas List” as the CD’s closing number.

The punchy “Merry Christmas Will Do” finds the trio Material Issue at the peak of its power. Jim Ellison’s rugged guitar playing takes center stage, and as usual, he’s a master at selling the pain of unrequited love through his evocative singing. “You don’t have to say you love me, I know that that’s not true,” Ellison concedes. “But Merry Christmas will do.”

The Idea, fronted by vocalist-guitarist Phil Angotti, contribute the melodic “It’s About That Time,” which describes winter scenes, church bell, carols, and watching It’s A Wonderful Life. It goes on to note, sadly, that the holiday season seems like the only time of the year when “we all have a lot of love to share.” This seems to be the most commercially successful song from Yuletunes; I’ve heard it playing on the overhead sound system at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg and at our Jewel food store.

The single-named Leroy checks in with “Santa Stole My Baby,” a mid-tempo song that sets up a crime scene with clever clues like, “footsteps on the rooftop.” The slinky guitar playing underscores the sexy fun of lyrics like, “She makes him cookies./She calls him Chris./Gets everything double on her Christmas list.”

I’ll continue with Part Two of my look at Yuletunes on my next post.