Smart Remarks---New Jersey Power Pop Trio! circa 1983! a brief history! and uncomfortable usage of !

Check this out! About 15 years ago, as i was in the midst of my more exploratory record collecting time period, i was on one of my thrift store circuit Sundays and ended up, as i often still do, sitting on the floor indian style in front of a mess of LP's at a Goodwill. This one was in Bordentown, NJ--one of my least fav places if only due to the unusual percentage of unhip (c'mon i'm too cool) or poor conditioned records.

Stuffed somewhere in the mire of frayed cardboard was a record, low budget but intriguing in it's cover--vibrant and likeable. The band was called Smart Remarks and the title of the album was "Seriously Speaking". Five Songs. Three young guys in Chucks, rolled up sleeves and tight jeans adorned the cover in goofy poses circa 1983-ish. One of them even had the obligatory thin tie with short sleeve shirt! The real clincher was this piece of info:

"INFORMATION REGARDING SMART REMARKS-CRIMINAL RECORDS, 10 EATON RD., BORDENTOWN, NJ 08505"

Aw man, this was right around the corner from where i was sitting, and about 15 minutes from where i lived at the time. I had to get it. Fifteen years later, i still spin it at least once a week.

SO CHARMING, this record is. One of the most engaging self pressings I've ever heard. The songs have a Dirty Looks/Records feel mixed with a Cheap Trick energy to it (especially the drum tracks). "Seriously Speaking" doesn't have a cheesy chord in it's grooves, a rarity in early eighties records--self pressed or major label. The music is tight as heck too. Power pop harmonies flow throughout the record as well as just the awesomist drum sound ever.

Four of the five songs are originals; the cover is the Dirty Looks tune "Disappearing". The others are all written by Todd Ellis, lead vocalist and guitarist, with the exception of "Reverse Velocity" which was written by Ellis and bassist Steve Destefano. Drummer Ant Barbalace (credited as just Ant on the disc) finished off the trio. Produced and Engineered by Scott A. Evans, who also provided additional backing vocals, it was recorded Oct. '83 to March '84 at Songram Studios in Mercerville, N.J., except "Disappearing", which was recorded at Joe's Sound Studio in Trenton, N.J. Also of note is the appearance of Assistant Engineer Tom Marolda, also know as The Toms, who went on to work with Richie Sambora and do movie soundtracks (latest Rocky movie) as producer/writer.

After doing more research, i discovered that Smart Remarks had been a pretty big band in central Jersey in the early 80's--playing iconic Trenton club City Gardens numerous times including an opening slot for Joan Jett. They had first released a single, in 1981, on Criminal Records called "Mary's Got Her Eye On Me Tonight" b/w "Machine Working Overtime" This featured the trio of Ellis, Ant, and earlier bassist Chris Gordon. "Mary" is the hit that never was--a caffeinated version of their later work that starts with a traveling guitar riff and proceeds to lay the groundwork for the later pop punk of the Descendents and All. Lyrically romantic and innocent, musically hyper and short, the single should be considered a holy grail find in the punk genre. (Check it out on my youtube page here)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlMR-fz_kcw&feature=channel_page

The boys soon ended up going their seperate ways, making music a part time gig as the pressures of adulthood (women, jobs, facial hair) quelched their artistic souls. But we all know that the Spirit of RAWWWK never really leaves the creative body. This, and the resurgence in popularity of early eighties punk and pop records in the last decade or so was why i wasn't surprised in October 2006 when I got word Todd was getting coaxed out of retirement to play City Gardens promoter/TSR DJ Randy Now's 50th Birthday party at the Conduit in Trenton. Of course i went. And in the last 2 years he has played a handful of solo gigs, most notably opening for ex-Monkee Peter Tork at The Record Collector in Bordentown. Also of note was a Smart Remarks reunion of sorts, with Todd and Steve Destefano doing both an acoustic and electric set at the same locale. Ant apparently would have loved to play but he was busy that night, AND he lives in North Carolina.

If you take a look on the internet, you can find some sights where you can download their stuff. Or check out their myspace: http://http//www.myspace.com/smartremarksnofrills

I think it might be the official, but there are some other Smart Remarks myspace pages out there and they all have songs readily available to listen to.

There is also at least one live video recording of the band in their prime that hopefully hits youtube soon. Hopefully with gained exposure there will be a better chance of seeing this hit the web, or better yet an official release of the single, EP and whatever else may be in the vaults on CD.

That's it. I'm starting a petition to get this rolling. HELP ME

Doctor Dolittle presents The Grasshoppers LP REVIEW!

I MUST ADMIT when i saw this LP in a Salvation Army in Trenton, i passed it over. It took me two more visits to actually shell out the .99 cents for it. There were three main reasons my compulsive record buying sense didn't tingle with this and I will enumerate them for you right now (what bad sentence structure; it doesn't quite capture the audience)
REASON NUMBER 1: The first time i saw this disc was also the first time I had been to this particular shop in about three weeks and in that time, there were a number of other more worthy records to concentrate on--including the Spiderman LP by the Webspinners and a Hammer era Christopher Lee-covered Dracula LP from the early 70's. So when I saw a group of cartoon grasshoppers in bell bottoms playing instruments on the cover, it didn't quite make the hair on my back stand on end. Which leads neatly into:
REASON NUMBER 2: I thought it was that other "The Grasshoppers" that covered the Chipmunks songs in the 60's. Their LP's are pretty well distributed throughout collections across thrift stores like Eagles records. Although these grasshoppers looked a bit more hip than the older ones that i think dressed like a barbershop quartet or something, I thought maybe they had been reinvented to cash in on the Archies and other cartoon bands.
REASON NUMBER 3: It was wedged in a stack of dozens of other childrens records--the typical Disney/Wacky Songs with covers of 1910 Fruitgum Co. songs on it--and to find a cool childrens record has been a rare occurance for me (the Wombles are good).
SO WHEN I took a third look at it, I first noticed it was distributed by Bell Records in 1970 (through Carousel Records) which had some cool sounds at that point (Partridge Family, Crazy Elephant, Davy Jones almost). That intrigued me. But when i read that the songs were from "DOCTOR DOLITTLE", as featured on the NBC Television network series" that was the clincher. This was an indication it wasn't just going to be a cheapo all covers children record--there might actually be some substance to it. And I was right.
THIS LP HAS a sound that is a creepy combination of cartoon/childrens/christian/fake TV show background music. All tracks are written by Doug Goodwin who has done tons of cartoon soundtracks. There seem to be a male lead (maybe two) and a female lead as well as a number of background vocalists. The production is very sparse and rely mostly on vocals and the occasional organ and fuzzy guitar. No credit is given to any musicians or vocalists on the album so anyone with any info on that please drop a message!
TO SAY IT is like the Archies, which would be a natural comparison to make, is not quite accurate. Most of the songs are either sung as a group or by the female lead with background accompaniment as opposed to the predominantly male vocals on the Archies tunes. Also, whereas the Archies were written and produced for hitmaking purposes, well crafted tunes by some of the greatest writers in pop history, the songs on "The Grasshoppers" are quite schizophrenic. While most of the tunes sound like an anemic Free Design with antennae (they are real grasshoppers, right?) one track specifically sounds Nilsson-esque (On a Train Goin' West is sort of a "I Guess the Lord Must be in New York City" with a broken compass). Aside from that one song which is really kind of low key, the album has a strange energy that keeps the listener hypnotized (three times in a row last night).
MOST OF THE tracks are lyrically child-oriented, nothing too sophisticated. But all the lyrics are quite positive and perfect for a quick cheer-up, which is essential to sunshine pop.

The Grasshoppers "On a Train Goin' West" 1970


THERE ARE ENOUGH touches of stylish vocal harmonies to make this something to seek out for anyone who is getting worried that they've found all the great sunshine pop/bubblegum/feelgood records ever produced, which is where I was until recently. I've realized I've had to branch out as a fan and collector. Some of the best pop vocal LP's i've ever heard are Christian "message" records. Maybe there is an untapped vein of childrens records out there also.

Here's Some Parade on your Rain....get it?

KINDA' WASTED WITHOUT YOU

You should listen to this song.....A bit more of a rocking number than the Small Circle of Friends version. It was written by Murray MacLeod and Smokey Roberds both of the Parade. They wrote their own tunes too. How self contained. If Boyce and Hart were in the Monkees, you'd get the Parade.

Where did Montage Mirror come from?

I am pleased with my "The Parade-Sunshine Girl: The Complete Recordings" CD that was released about a month ago. I am quite pleased indeed. I was only familiar with "Sunshine Girl" (of course), "A.C./D.C." (which had been compiled on one of the "Soft Sounds for Gentle People" discs), and "She Sleeps Alone" (which i found a slideshow video of on Youtube.)
It reinforced what I had a feeling about from these 3 tracks--the Parade was very talented and highly commercial without being completely derivative. It also verified that any song Murray MacLeod features on is golden. He has a voice that defies classification, sort of like a male Karen Carpenter (not trying to be sacriligeous but when he sings ballads he too sounds so damn heart wrenching.)
I would love to review the CD and ramble on about the deevolution of music. But my real intent in this post is to try to get some info on the bonus track "Montage Mirror." It is credited to Roger Nichols Trio (buy all their stuff.) It is written by Nichols and Roberds (Smokey of the Parade). There is no more info available. No producer listen, no year given. It was in the demo stage and apparently got no further than that.
My question is two-fold. Who is singing on "Montage Mirror" and why wasn't it put on the Small Circle of Friends (Complete) compilation. That even included that "St. Bernie the Sno Dog" song.
It doesn't sound like MacLeod is on the track as the mystery singer's voice is a bit lower and doesn't seem to have the same singing inflection in his voice. His sister isn't in it at all so she's out of the running. I've only heard Nichols' voice in recent years and it's much gruffer. Not saying his voice hasn't evolved in the last 30-40 years, but there is another factor that excludes Nichols from being the vocalist. He has a slower delivery than the singer on "Montage"; Nichols has more of a thought-out and reflective voice. But maybe I'm just overanalyzing. And besides, it bears little resemblence to any SCOF stuff as it has more of a garagey sound; more precisely it sounds like a song played in the background of an episode of Get Smart when Max shows up at a "counterculture party".
As to why it wasn't released on the SCOF, i'm still a bit baffled. I'd like to think the compilers just dug it up from a private owner who got it from a studio engineer or something. Those stories are awesome. To me it's more intriguing than all 3 Bourne movies. I have daydreams of stumbling upon a ratty cardboard box, with scribbles and stains and worn out masking tape on it and i open it up and i find a lost Monkees demo. Then I buy a reel to reel player and listen to it all by myself and never share it with anyone. Ain't I a stinker?
If any reader has any answers for me, it'd be appreciated. Or even if you have any cool stories to share about rare songs or Murray MacLeod or The Parade please do. I'm information starved.

Massive Guilt over my treatment of Jan and Dean

I've been thinking it over. I'm not retracting my statements over Jan and Dean. Hours after my previous post, I still feel the same way about their fluffy sound. But maybe I should clarify my position. I like them--I do. But maybe some fans are too blinded by the Brian Wilson connection to see them for their own talents. And to show there are no hard feelings, here's an outtake of a Brian Wilson demo of "Gonna Hustle You", "New Girl in School", "Get a Chance With You"--whatever it was called. Since Wilson wrote it for them, I figure it would be appropriate to add this as an addendum to the previous blog entry.

(and for anyone who thinks i only added this to slip in a rare Brian Wilson track, who knows you may be right. Please don't tell anyone though.)


brian wilson demo song ****gonna hustle you



For more great easy listening/soft pop--click this here link
http://www.youtube.com/softsoundpop

More Music for a Rainy Day--Jan and Dean Bootleg

I like Jan and Dean, in a lightweight sort of way. Not an intense love affair, really. Like the way you like slim jims--you could do without them but they at times provide some cheap satisfaction. There is a large J & D cult. And Jan and Dean's catalogue is one of the easiest to to attain for completists as they've had their cuts reissued repeatedly in different formats--even while the group was still in existence. And I probably have some pent up jealousy issues of Jan and Dean fans because they were able to find a plethora of goodies at little expense while in my youth I had to pester the employees of Princeton Record Exchange to hold any Curt Boettcher stuff behind the counter.

The guys do have some great qualities. They have the Brian Wilson-connection with gives them some major pointage. Jan also gave Gary Zekley a break early in his career by doing the Restless Surfer for J & D's "Ride the Wild Surf" Lp.

I like Zekley a lot.

One issue I have with the duo (now I know this may sound petty, and I know it is totally my problem that i have to get over) is that when I was 15 I bought the biopic on vhs at a flea market and I watched it. It was actually pretty good, and I got all tingly when Mike Love came out at the end. But the actor who played Dean (Bruce Davison) also played the dad on the "Harry and the Hendersons" TV show in the early 90's. So maybe I should grow up, but I can't help connect Dean forever with the actor playing him. Even when I see this guy on other shows, somewhere in the dark chunks of my brain (the medulla I believe) I think it's Dean.

Say it--I'm a simple minded twit.

The early pre-surf songs are ok even if recorded in a rusty oil can. And the surf songs are catchy and slick, but teen fare.

Then Dean made "Save for a Rainy Day" while Jan was rehabilitating from the accident. He did it to keep the name alive, so he says. I like to think it was his way of saying "I can do it too, you egomaniacal jerk. What, with your magnetic stare and rugged yet wiry build."

That album is a lost classic, released on Sundazed a few years ago with bonus tracks.

I like that album too; all the songs have to do with rain and it's quite harmless.

One of those albums that you listen to and don't feel any different afterwards.

But being a sunshine pop enthusiast, when I ran into "More Music for a Rainy Day", a 28 track bootleg of outtakes and alternate versions from those sessions, I got more than a bit excited.

In addition to different takes of "Like a Summer Rain", "Raindrops", "Rain on the Roof", "A Taste of Rain", "Crying in the Rain", "Pocket Full of Rainbows", and "Here Comes the Rain", there were two unreleased tracks, not even bonus tracks on the Sundazed comp-"Rhythm of the Rain" and "Louisiana Man". The only other version of "Louisiana Man" I'd ever heard was from some Czech vocal band called the Rangers from 1970 maybe.

I like the Rangers.

I got so excited. You should have seen me. I rushed home because my cd player in the car doesn't work. Driving home I openened the insert in the jewel case thinking that there might be some super cool extra stuff, although I know that never is the case with bootlegs.

And when I got home I listened to it.

And life went on normal afterwords.

Then I came to an important realization. There's a difference between listening to a Beach Boys bootleg and a J & D bootleg. Beach Boys instrument only or vocals only takes are at times incredibly beautiful. Listen to their vocal track for "Time to Get Alone" or "Breakaway". Something mystical happens when you play them.

Dean could have put "Louisiana Man" or "Rhythm of the Rain" on the album instead of "Pocket Full of Rainbows" or any other track besides "Yellow Balloon" and you would have pretty much the same product. Listening to Jan and Dean outtakes is like listening to Jan and Dean released songs. The vocals are at times weak, which really doesn't differ from the final version of the album. The instruments are quite nice but nowhere near complex.

Maybe Jan had a better idea of how to sculpt arrangements to give you a chill. Maybe he didn't.

Again, I like Jan and Dean. But I like the Five Americans too. Both made some great tunes and contributed to the evolution of music history and give me something to smile when I think about my teenage years. But where is the care and respect put into the catalogue of the Five Americans or Don and the Goodtimes or Tommy Roe?

Just a thought.

Check out more soft pop/easy listening tunes from the comfort of your uncomfortable chair here:

http://www.youtube.com/softsoundpop