Hailing from Zion, Illinois, a town of 20,00 located about 50 miles north of Chicago, which was known mainly for its nuclear reactor : "Normaltown" as once declared J. Murpy. So, what would you expect these guys to do except to sing in a r'n'r... okay, you know the story. Musical-wise, they remind of having been influenced at the beginning by Big Star, Nils Logfren/Grin, The Raspberries and AM Radio. "Heads Or Tails" was their first material ever : a 10 song EP that was recorded, but never released, during the summer of 1974. "One In Versailles" (dedicated to member Gary Klebe who was studying architecture in France and was therefore the "one in Versailles") was recorded in late `74/early `75 and put on vinyl by the band as a self-release limited edition of 1,000 copies. A good number of them sold in local record stores, but soon afterward most of those the band had left over were destroyed in a flood, making it one of the most collectible pop records of all time[DB]. After Klebe came back to Illinois in the summer of `75 Shoes recorded "Bazooka" for which they didn't find funds to press into vinyl. Until the "As Is" CD, that is! "Bazooka" has indeed been packed together with "One In Versailles" on the double limited edition CD "As Is".
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EP 12" « Heads Or Tails » : b/w (USA [Private Label] 1975) "Heads Or Tails" was a 10 song EP that was recorded, but neverreleased, during the summer of 1974. [DB]
LP « ONE IN VERSAILLES » (USA [Private Label] 1976) "One In Versailles" is a wonderful album IMHO,rudimentary to be sure, but containing many of the melodies and structures that Shoes would soon come to be identified with.
LP « BLACK VINYL SHOES » (USA [Sire/PVC #SRK6075] 1979)
7" « Okay » b/w « Tomorrow Night » (USA [Bomp! #116] 6/78)
LP « PRESENT TENSE » (USA [Elektra #6E-204] 9/1979)
LP « TONGUE TWISTER » (USA [Elektra #6E-303] 1981)
LP « BOOMERANG » (USA [Elektra] 1982)
LP « SHOES ON ICE » (USA [Elektra] 1982)
CD « AS IS » (USA [Black Vinyl Rds] ) I don't think Bazooka is quite as good as "One In Versailles", but there are some strong tracks on it. [DB] I like a lot Bazooka, even better than "One In Versailles" ! The Shoes sounded like if they tried to emulate Big Star or the Dwight Twilley band even it was very reminiscent of .. the Shoes! This kind of truely garagey pop is just wonderful to my ears... [PG]
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