The two prime movers in Birmingham's Primitons are drummer/accordionist Leif Bondarenko and singer/guitarist/organist Mots Roden, a Swede who somehow wound up living in Alabama. Following a long stint in Jim Bob and the Leisure Suits (a promising but gimmicky local adaptation of new wave), the pair formed the all-pop Primitons with singer/guitarist Brad Dorset and non-performing lyricist Stephanie Truelove Wright.
Joined by a guest vocalist, the trio recorded a sturdy and attractive seven-song debut, produced with Mitch Easter. Primitons (Throbbing Lobster) 1985.
Bassist Don Tinsley replaced Dorset; the trio (plus Wright) issued an ambitious and spectacular Anglo-pop 12-inch, Don't Go Away which covers the Left Banke's "Something on My Mind" as one of its two B-sides. (Beatfor15).
Happy All the Time, which boasts "Don't Go Away" and other similarly well-executed numbers, is a winning collection and shows what a fine band the Primitons are. Layers of guitars and vocals are the main ingredients; subtlety and diversity are a bonus; talented songwriting and offbeat lyrics provide the solid foundation. Tim Lee guests. Ira Robbins – Trouser Press
Sunday, December 31, 2006
BEATFOR50 - Primitons - Happy All The Day
BEATFOR34 - ORANGE
ORANGE - Judy Over The Rainbow
First there was The GREEN TAMBOURINES - a band formed round the prodigious talents of RICK CORCORAN. They played some memorable gigs around London but their guitar pop was out of step & time with the Acid house, ecstasy driven scene of the early '90s and they split after 18 months.
Shortly after, Rick was offered some studio time based on demos he'd written but the deal involved having a band so he hastily formed ORANGE and this led to Chrysalis Records releasing an amazing EP called Judy Over The Rainbow b/w Disposable & Bed. Cool radio stations picked up on it and it got quite a lot of airplay. Deservedly so, because it was considered by all right thinking Pop fans as being one of the very best records of its kind to come from an English band for a long time. ORANGE also did a couple of radio sessions and played live a few times but internal stresses caused the band to fold shortly afterwards.
Weary of bands and big record labels, Rick went back to making demos helped out by old mates from The Green Tambourines, Tam Johnstone and Tim McTighe. Eventually a small Japanese label got to hear them and very astutely put out an album in 1996 under the name, THE ORGONE BOX. Unfortunately it was only released in Japan and even then it got precious little attention. Whether it was deleted fast or the label went bust is unclear but whatever, it went unnoticed in the big wide world, and Rick's astonishing talent remained unheard.
The Masterpsychopop
1. Judy Over The Rainbow
2. Disposable (See BEATFORELEVEN)
3. Bed
Chrysalis 1994 UK, 12chs5012.
Prod.: Dave Eringa,
All Tracks : Rick Corcoran
... Rick Corcoran penned and released a pulsating little pop-psych track under the name Orange, on UK Chrysalis Records titled "Judy Over the Rainbow" during 1994, and promptly disappeared from the scene for a bit. John Borack –Goldmine-.
...it's the ornate remake of Corcoran's baroque-pop Orange single, “Judy Over The Rainbow” that might make you hunt down a powdered wig in a costume shop and dye it day-glo orange. Jud Cost, Magnet 
...Once upon a time in the UK — mid-'90s, to be precise — there was a combo called Orange that scored a minor radio hit with “Judy Over the Rainbow”. From this minor hit and the mind and talents of one Rick Corcoran came a stripped down version of this hit and 11 other pop/psych gems assembled collectively as The Orgone Box.... Gary Glauber, Popmatters
...Corcoran’s prior claim to fame was a critically acclaimed EP (Judy Over The Rainbow b/w Disposable & Bed) on Chrysalis Records in 1994 (at the ascent of Britpop) under the Orange moniker.... Kevin Mathews powerofpop.com
...Orange would have been up there with the Roses, Oasis et al and towered over the likes of Cast... Paul Johnson, Uncut
“Judy Over The Rainbow,” (an earlier version of this song was released as a single on Chrysalis Records by Corcoran's previous band, Orange ) which features cool, phased vocals, Revolver-esque guitar licks, and is catchy as all get out; and “Ticket With No Return,” a wonderful song that could have snuck onto Jon Brion's new album without anybody finding out. David Bash, Toast Magazine
...Rick Corcoran has already attained legendary status with the Judy Over The Rainbow single that he released on Chrysalis when he was in Orange.... Robin Wills, Bucketfull of Brains
BEATFOR45 - Puppy Love Bomb
Marc Carroll went on to form a band in London called The Hormones in 1995, before embarking on a solo career.
BEATFOR42 - BUM
This first album works both as a good introduction to the band and a 'greatest hits' package. They just got everything right - perfect, peppy pieces of pop-punk. The right balance of raw energy and catchy bits to stick in your head.
[1993 Lp Munster Records Spain]
1. Your Discipline 2. Wedding Day 3. Instant Kool Ayd 4. At The Week 5. I’m Not One.
Prod.: Kurt Bloch
Kevin Lee : Bass
Andrew Molloy : Guitars
Rob Nesbitt: Guitar and Singing
Graham Watson : Drums
http://bum.freehosting.net/
BEATFOR38 - The Zippers
The Zippers
Side 1
1. I'm In Love 2. It Hurts 3. Some Pay The Price (Some Never Will)
Side 2
4. Falling Off The Edge 5. Someday 6. Lock In My Heart
[Mini album Rhino Records 1981]
Prod. Ray Manzarek
All Tracks : B. Willingham
Bob Willingham : Vocal, Guitars
Danielle Faye : Bass, Vocals
Lewis Cammarata : Guitars, Vocals
Malcolm Murphy : Drums
“ Upon arriving in Los Angeles in 1975, the onset of the burgeoning Punk Rock/ New Wave scene a year later was a cultural besotting for Cammarata. Punch drunk with the sheer audacity of the cultural dadaism, it was another year before he found his place. That place was helping to put together seminal pop/punk band The Zippers. Sharing stages with cultural icons like The Blasters, Patti Smith, The Buzzcocks, and John Cale, the band built a hard core following from San Diego to Houston to Tokyo. Their debut single on Back Door Man Records, He's A Rebel b/w You're So Strange, made a decent local splash, and was eventually featured in the Dennis Christopher film "Fade to Black". Eventually teaming with former Doors publicist Danny Sugerman, and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, the band released a six song "mini-lp" in 1980 on Rhino Records. Several of the songs have since been appropriated for use on half a dozen different punk/pop collections. Despite being lavished with critical acclaim from the likes of LA Times' Robert Hilburn ("the best unsigned band in America"), renowned pop critic and historian Don Waller ("angelic four part harmonies surrounded by four chords and a cloud of dust") internal issues caused the disbanding of the group soon after...” Lewis Ray Cammarata
Ray Manzarek produced this six-song mini-album for LA's Zippers, a longstanding punk outfit with strong pop tendencies. Although once strictly a tough club band, the tracks here expose a mature, musical quartet with songs and skills aplenty; the mood runs hot and cold. A neat record, but deduct points for swiping the Small Faces' "What'cha Gonna Do About It" for an "original," "I'm in Love." [Ira Robbins] Trouser Press.
http://www.lewisray.com/
http://www.therunaways.com/
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BEATFOR37 - THE SELVES
The Selves
Little known about this band from New Jersey. On this album were : Mike Reilly (Voice, Guitars), Paul Fisher (Guitars, Voices), Greg Calvert (Bass) and George Vargo (drums). An ep of five songs issued on Birth Records (B101), Wyckoff, New Jersey, in 1986. All tracks written by M Reilly. In 1989 released the LP "Cocktails And Plenty Of ‘Em" on Sustones Records.
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BEATFOR35 - Terry Edwards
Terry Edwards Plays The Music Of Jim & William Reid
[12" EP - STIM 001, 1991]
Never Understand - Everything's Alright When You're Down - The Hardest Walk - Break Me Down
Terry Edwards Remembers The Cure
12" EP - STIM 006, Unreleased, White Label.
Friday, I'm In Love - In Between Days
Born in Hornchurch, Essex, England on August 10th, 1960. Learnt trumpet & piano at school. Started playing guitar at thirteen. Was given a saxophone on my 18th birthday. Went to the University of East Anglia from 1979-82 to get into a band. Managed to do that and come away with a degree in music as well. First releases made with The Higsons (1980-86).Formed Butterfield 8 with 'Young' Mark Bedford in 1987. Having been in several bands and played many sessions, 1991 saw the first solo releases on Jacko Boogie's STIM label, actively encouraged by the aforementioned Mr Bedford. From 1991 to present has seen a prolific musical career take in an unfeasible amount of diverse work both as a session player (stopped counting the number of releases once they'd got into three figures), live performer (stopped counting the gigs once they'd got into four figures) and solo artist both with & without sidesmen The Scapegoats.
http://www.terryedwards.co.uk/
BEATFOR39 - Green Gallery
Green Gallery
Fans of underground and indie music may be more familiar with the Swedish scene of the eighties. Anchored by the mighty Nomads, the Swedes sprouted a garage and psych scene that was haled around the world wherever bands like The Sonics were revered. Groups like Union Carbide Productions (whose full on Stooges-flavored attack included vocalist Ebbot Lundberg and guitar players Bjorn Olsson and Ian Person from current indie darlings The Soundtrack Of Our Lives), The Shoutless, Psychotic Youth, The Sinners, The Pushtwangers, The Watermelon Men, Sator, The Stomachmouths, The Wylde Mammoths, Wilmer X and Green Gallery all made great records.
Green gallery were : Peter Fjäll (Keyborads), Christer Forsman (Bass) , Lars Hansén (Guitars, Vocals, Trumpet), Jonas Lundin (Drums) , Bo Sandman (Vocals, Guitars). They brought out their only album on 1987 in the swedish Pet Sounds Records. I've never seen anything written on them. Their record contain an intoxicating brew of music, a sound that seems to mix 60’s hard guitar pop with a strong r&b leaning and prominently featuring trumpets. 
Side A : 1. Reconsider My Heart 2. Naked In The Sun 3. Painful Hours 4. Tale Of The Times
Side B : 1. Remote Control 2. Little Teen 3. Truth Breaks 4. Blow It Away 5. High Heel Ten
[lp Pet Sounds Records 1987 ] Prod. Billi Madden. Stockholm.
BEATFOR49 - The Phônz
Released “No Line For You” in 1979, a good powerpop single according to Pierre from bubblegum.the.punk.free.fr, and a 10” in a 12” jacket sleeve in 1981 titled The Phônz, including a cover of the one of the greatest hits of the early '60s, Runaway, the Del Shannon’s debut single.
The Phônz [10” Limp Dog Records 1981]
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BEATFOR46 - The Cortinas
Named after a car, the Ford Cortina, the band moved from R&B towards covering songs by punk forerunners like the New York Dolls and The Stooges. "In retrospect, I suppose we were very hip," Sheppard says. "We were listening to the right records, as we were right there at the right time." The Cortinas' singles, "Fascist Dictator / Television Families" (1977) and "Defiant Pose / Independence" (1978) both appeared on Step Forward, the label run by Police manager Miles Copeland.
The Cortinas signed for CBS and released one album, True Romances.
One of the guitarists was Nick Sheppard, who went on to play with The Clash and Head.
They played as support act for The Stranglers, Blondie and Chelsea, and recorded a session for John Peel. The band split up in September 1978.
Mike Fewings : Guitars
Nick Sheppard : Guitars
Dexter Dalwood : Bass
Daniel Swann : Drums
True Romance [lp CBS 1978] Prod. Martin Birch
http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/cortinas.htm
BEATFOR41 - Speedometors
The Speedometors attracted the attention of Colin Barton's indie label Mascot Records and the subsequent release of the single "Disgrace/Work" put the band on the indie charts.
The "Disgrace" single caught the ear of producer Miki Dallon, who then ran around the Midem song festival hyping the band to the same labels who had previously ignored them. The reaction was GREAT!!
Instead of sucking up to the "A&R man of the week" he choose to put the band in the studio and cut the "Day in the lights" L.P. and "shop it",. The result: the "LP" was picked up by genius "ex" RSO records chief Chris Yule for Acrobat/Arista records. Along the way Drummer Lol Gellor departed the band, (we can't remember why), but he helped get us there!! (Enter Steve Parry (ex Radio Stars)
The single "Tonight Tonight" recieved a great response with plays on B.B.C. Radio one and a live at the B.B.C. session. The band continued to tour the U.K. and play packed London shows at clubs such as the Greyhound, Fulham Palace Road, Golden Lion, Fulham and a residency at the "Marquee" in Wardour St London, the launching pad of acts such as The Who
Highlights: two appearences at the famed "Reading Festival". At the Nashville Rooms, Kensington they even played with Dire Straits on a early gig with friends Radio Stars. Trips up and down the motorways of England to hallowed places such as Liverpool kept the lads busy.
At the end of 1979 shortly after a tour with fellow Acrobat artist Ian Gillan (of Deep Purple fame, (only because the label said we had to do it!) the band went in different directions to pursue other avenues. Acrobat did their last "double twist" and crashed!!
http://punkmodpop.free.fr/
BEATFOR47 - Rockin' Bricks
Hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey from 1979 to 1984, The Rockin' Bricks started out with their pals, The Smithereens, playing the same gigs around New York and Philly. Recorded one ep with legendary engineer/producer Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley) titled "Having A Wild Weeknight" in 1982 on Major Label Records, to wild weeknight acclaim. The Bricks were: Peter Tomlinson-lead guitars, vocals, keyboards/ Joe Hosey-guitars, vocals/ Chris Breetveld-bass, vocals, keyboards/ Bill DiMartino-drums.
“The LP featured four tracks, among them the great "Foreign Girl" which sounded like if 20/20 had put some Beach Boys intricate melodies in place of their Beatles and Brit-Pop influences (this track having also been re-recorded on "spooj" by The Breetles ; the best version in my opinion appearing on the cassette-only "Ego"). Although somewhat too typical of the genre, "Hearbeat" is quite decent powerpop.”
http://bubblegum.the.punk.free.fr/
“Having A Wild Weeknight” [ep 12" Major Label 1982] Prod. John Demarzo
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BEATFOR42 - The Cryers / Stumblebunny
Stumblebunny
In 1978 Chris started up a new band, is own band, called Stumblebunny, along with Peter Jordan (who he had toured with the Dolls in Japan) on Bass, David White (Guitars, vocals), and Sammy Brown (Drums).
They put together a 4-song EP contained the tracks "Bad Habits," "Can't Remember," "Valium" and Chris' standard, "Tonite" [Slip Shod Records], and shopped it around. Famed 60's producer Richard Gottehrer (Strangeloves, Fleshtones, Bongos, Richard Barone, Blondie, and a host of Girl Groups, like the Angels, Go-Go's; and co-founder of Sire Records) scooped them up and signed them. The next year came an LP, "While You Were Out" recorded at Plaza Sound, released unfortunately only in Germany on Phonogram. Stumblebunny then toured England and Germany 2nd billing The Hollies in '79. Peter Jordan and Sammy Brown later moved on to a band called The Nite Caps. A shame, it could have and deserved to be a hit.
The Cryers
It was in the vibrant Meridian, Mississippi music scene, among such compatriots as Steve Forbert, Chris Ethridge and Paul Davis that Lowry Hamner founded the band, The Cryers. After completing demos with Kyle Lehning, who later produced Randy Travis, opportunities as a solo artist opened up for Hamner, but his commitment to The Cryers instead motivated a move to New York City's East Village.
Playing such legendary New York clubs as CBGB's and Max's Kansas City led to Hamner and The Cryers being signed to Mercury Records by Steve Katz of Blood, Sweat and Tears, and The Blues Project fame, where they recorded two highly praised albums.
Hamner recently returned to professional performing with appearances at the Towne Crier Cafe; in Pawling, New York, and the Schoolhouse in Croton Falls, New York. This comeback was underscored by Columbia recording artist Willie Nile who included one of Hamner's songs on his record "Places I Have Never Been." Hamner's 1979 song "Shake It Up" was re-released as the title track on a 1993 Rhino compilation. Alient Chant Records
BEATFOR33 - Chris wilson & The Sneetches
Chris Wilson & the Sneetches is more of a necessity for diehard Flamin Groovies fans than for diehard Sneetches fans, as the San Francisco power pop quartet are simply the backing band here. Wilson, who was the George Harrison to Cyril Jordan's Lennon/McCartney during the Groovies' most British Invasion-inspired phase, is completely in charge here... AllMusic.
A one-off collaboration with former Flamin Groovies singer/guitarist Chris Wilson resulted in the seven-song Chris Wilson and the Sneetches: three Groovies tunes ("Between the Lines," "I'll Cry Alone" and "Slow Death") performed live at the DNA Lounge (Groovies alumnus Roy Loney joins in on "Slow Death"), full-band versions of cuts from Wilson's early '90s acoustic album, Random Centuries, and a nice, 12-string-drenched version of Goffin/King's "Goin' Back."
Scott McCaughey/John M. Borack, Trouser Press.
Chris Wilson (vocals, 6-&12-string guitars); Mike Levy (guitar, piano, background vocals); Matt Carges (guitar); Alec Palao (bass); Dan Swan (drums, background vocals). Additional personnel: Roy Loney.
1. If Wishes Were Horses 2. Never Love Again 3. He Who Waits 4. Goin' Back 5. Between The Lines / I'll Cry Alone / Slow Death (Live. One track ripped).
http://www11.brinkster.com/groovies1/Wilson.html
BEATFOR43 - Fire Town
“In The Heart Of The Heart Country” [LP Atlantic 1987]