![[1]](page.gif)
![[15]](lapage.gif)
| The RUBINOOS [Berkeley, California] |
|
| RUSHLOW-KING [Michigan] |
 Michigan band. Feat. Mike Rushlow and Steve King. Mike Murphy (Denizens) played drums.
|
|
|
| SCREEN TEST [Syracuse, New York] |
|
With former members of The Flashcubes, incl. Gary Frenay
|
|
|
| The SCRUFFS [Memphis, Tennessee] |
|
Although Scruffs fans sometimes don't like it, I personally think that "When Donna Romances" is a great single. Poppier and less accessible at the same time. The hook is in the dynamics of the song (vocals mix at the right place for a pop song) as if John Felice's Taxi Boys tried their skill at performing the Stephen Burns' repertoire. The song finally appeared on the "Midtown" reissue but actually was more in the "Teenage Gurls" CD vein.[PG]
Imagine an Alex Chilton who would listened to a lot of Rasperries stuff before recording the "Singer Not The Song" sessions (which appeared later on the "Bach's Bottom" LP) and you get the picture. Nevrotic vocal lines, reminding sometimes Memphis pal Tommy Hoehn. "This Can't Go On" was a precursor of early Stamey's (& The dB's) rockers like "(I Thought) You Wanted To Know", with a sense of pathos (did I say Carmen-esque?) which makes this song so wonderful. "This Can't Go On" is worth alone the price of admission. Sometimes it seems that The Scruffs shared with late `70s rockers this same obsession of being a punk approximation of the Stones. A record full of generosity, just like the profuse track listing!
|
| The SECRETS* [Cleveland?, Ohio] |
|
|
| The SECRETS [Scotts Valley, California] | |
Excellent A-side powerpop. Can be heard on Teenline vol.2. |
| Phil SEYMOUR [Tulsa, Oklahoma] |
|
|
| The SHADES [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] |
|
Supposed to be from Philadelphia, PA. from label infos
|
|
|
| The SHADES(2) [USA] |
|
Label from Tampa, Fla.
|
|
|
| The SHAKE SHAKES [USA] |
|
"You Can Run" is a yummy slice of Raspberries-esque pop -- even it showed off somewhat of a strange musical construction, without any "distinct" chorus. The B-side is more or less forgettable. |
| The SHAKERS [Canada] |
|
|
| SHANE CHAMPAGNE [Boston?, Massachusetts] |
|
|
The SHIVVERS [Milwaukee, Wisconsin]
| |
 Another Midwest outfit with undeniable potential that couldn't be saved from the powerpop wreck of the early eighties. Hailing from Milwaukee Wisconsin, the band -- led by a feminine singer-songwriter, Jill Kossoris -- showed promise, had high hopes but sadly didn't see fortune smile on them. They were more "new-wavey" than "punk" but retained from the latter a sense of urgency that could be heard in their sole single "Teen Line" released on the Fliptop indepedent label in 1980. It had favorable reviews from Greg Shaw in Bomp and Ken Barnes in New York Rocker. Some of their original (still unreleased) material were in a should-have-been hits vein like the wonderful Krueger-penned "Hold On", or Jill's heartfelt Raspberries tribute "Why Tell Lies". Circa `81 they also recorded a couple of demos recorded, sent later to Eric Carmen, that didn't see the light of day. The band had label interest but they didn't take advantage of that because of a lack of resources (manager etc.) . They eventually broke up in '82 only due to Jill Kossoris' health problems. "When I was Younger" appeared on an obscure compilation LP entitled WQFM Hometown Project Volume 1. "Teen Line" resurfaced on the recent vinyl-only compilation Powerpearls, vol. 2. Read more about the Shivvers by clicking here!
| |
|
"Teen Line" was a very catchy song, kind of bubbly pop rocker akin to bands like Little Girls (of "Earthquake song" fame) or to the poppiest material of Nikki & The Corvettes. Some powerpop aficionados are not so fond of female lead vocals in powerpop (oh, really?) but the very distinctive vocals of Jill Kossoris had a kind of intonation with a bit of a sulty attitude that sounded truely great. The flip "When I was Younger" was a rougher pop track with an edge which showed off that the band felt comfortable with a (slighty) tougher sound. |
| The SHOES [Zion, Illinois] |
|
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".
|
|
|
| The SHOUT [USA] |
|
|