 Formed in Milwaukee, The Orbits were a mod/powerpop three-piece band whose outstanding "Make The Rules" can be heard on the 2nd volume of Powerpearls. Old bandmate (and also Shivvers' drummer) Jim Richardson once qualified the combo as "Brian Jones on speed fronting The Jam". In fact, the trio was typical of the US vintage late `70s powerpop sound, as they were true garage activists drawing from the `60s legacy much more subtly than their UK contemporaries. Juvenile, disarming, devoid of all pretence or anything. Original members, bassist Scott Krueger, guitarist Breck Burns and drummer Bob Wrenn weren't at the first attempt to start out a band. They played in early incarnations of The Orbits like In A Hot Coma, The Craze (which included guitarist Howie Epstein), and The Drones but their only 7" vinyl appearance was due to The Orbits. Indeed, released on the tiny label No.1, "Make The Rules" backed with smashing "Phenomenal World" were in the bins in 1980, in fact the same week than Milwaukee bandmates The Shivvers' "Teen Line" 7" single. They would be remembered for their blistering sets (they covered The Jam's "In The City", The Who's "So Sad About Us") but their studio counterparts were really worth a try. "Having Fun" and "Smart Suit, Shirt and Tie" were two unreleased tracks intended for an improbable second single that never saw the light of day because the band never finished the mixes. Too bad, because they would deserve to be heard by a wider audience of mod-pop freaks. It was more overtly `60s-influenced, high-energy three-minutes pop opus owing undoubtedly to 20/20, The Jam, Stiv Bators and the Unknown Garage Band (equivalent of the Unknow Soldier). The Orbits sound was tight like a strong black coffee (or its chemical equivalent) but enriched with a lot of pop artifacts (clear vocals, handclaps, peals of guitar riffs, "lalala-la" background vocals). The Shivvers and The Orbits would later morph into one, keeping The Shivvers name and would include Jim Richardson, Scott Krueger, Breck Burns, guitarist Mike Pyle, and singer, songwriter, keyboardist Jill Kossoris. Scott Krueger recently released a very attractive solo CD "One Voice" for which he wrote all but one of the songs, sang all the vocal parts, and played almost all of the instruments.
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