 1980-1983. In San Francisco during the late 70's, the musical scene was very intense and underground. Among the bands which brought powerpop to the punk scene were The Rockers (see entry). In 1980, after a self-released 7" EP, the band (minus guitarist Carl Jeppesen with the addition of a new bassist Jon SanFilippo and later a second guitarist, Mark Newcomb) changed its name and became The Finders. It seems that The Finders were a very popular act in San Francisco. Their material was very similar to The Rockers, maybe with a bigger sound. Two singles were their sole available output at the time, even if the band actually spent time in the studio on recording an entire LP (involving ex-Move manager Tony Secunda, as producer). In fact, these sessions were riddled with problems, and as you can guess it, the album masters never saw the light of day, being derelict in some studio closet until recently. Fortunately, Phil Schraub managed to pick up the masters and with the help of his brother Dennis and John "Rock" Perga, they have revitalized their own Squid Music label (the Finders publishing home). Their "great lost album" (the two singles plus 8 unreleased tracks) can now be heard for the first time thanks to a CD release. Squid Music has also put out two additional Finders CDs, the former including live performance and the latter demo material.
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John Rock : vocals (1,2)
Phil Schraub : guitar,vocals (1,2)
J.H. San Filippo : bass,vocals (1,2)
Bryan Allinsmith : drums (1,2)
Mark Newcomb : guitar (2)
7" « It's So Insane » b/w « Which Way » (USA [Sky Fi #SF5217] 1981)
7" « Calling Dr. Howard » b/w « Bad Food » (USA [Alcatraz #Z3] 1982)
Because the original sleeve featured member John Rock vomiting over a toilet holding a telephone with a picture of the Three Stooges in the background, and after Columbia Pictures threatened them with lawsuits if they didn't change the cover, this 7" was released with 3 different sleeves (two on the Sky-Fi label). "Calling Dr. Howard" gave the band some media coverage with eventually a video on MTV. scheduled in 120 minutes rotation on MTV.
CD « THE FINDERS » (USA [ Squid Music ] 1980-82,1999)
British invasion was probably a life altering influence on these guys' minds ("as it was on every musically inclined teenager with a brain and good taste" said once guitarist Phil Schraub) and throughout these "long lost" sessions (including eight never released tracks), The Finders confirm they well and truly had their own wall of (pop) sound, combining the upbeat feel of 60s British Pop invasion with the instrumental muscle of the 70s. The CD is quite consistently good ranging from songs with a slightly pronounced glam-ish approach, like in standouts "Ain't No Use In Trying" or "Sweet Litlle User", sometimes even coveting a Cheap Trick-esque bigger sound in "Hideaway", to more "direct" material like the (a bit) punk-ish "Calling Dr. Howard" or the funky (but pop) "Bad Food". Tracks like "Talk To Me", "Think I'll Ask Her" or "It's So Insane" definitely reveal the perfect powerpop craftmanship of John Perga and Phil Shraub.[pierre]
CD « LIVE » (USA [ Squid Music ] )
The Finders Live consists of 18 tracks all recorded at Le Disque, The Palms, and The Mabuhay Gardens, all located in San Francisco. The recording quality ranges from not too good to not too bad, considering the mono tapes were created during some rather loud and packed performances.[squid music]
CD « DEMOS » (USA [ Squid Music ] )
As much as I dig the "Long Lost Sessions" CD, this collection of demos -- recorded prior to the addition of Mark Newcomb to the band -- is THE stuff. Okay, the sound is muffled and rough (not that much anyway), but some tracks that appear nowhere else are outstanding : "Hold Tight","It All Works Out","Summer Love","On And Off","Standing In The Rain","The Way It Goes". The production is more pop, more `60s oriented maybe. Some early versions here are even better ("Ain't no use in tring"). Essential : pick up the Rockers, the "Long Lost Sessions" and the Demos CDs and you'll have a oh-so-ah enjoyable slice of vintage 1980 powerpop.
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The GO were a group out of Yonkers, NY. The band basically began as a cover band but decided there was no enjoyment in that, so began writing and recording their own material, playing the NY/NJ club circuit at the height of the "punk/new wave" era with several CBGB appearances. Through a chance coincidence, some early 4 track recordings caught the ear of producer Rob Freeman (who had engineered the debut LPs of the Ramones, Blondie & Robert Gordon). Rob worked with the band to develop some of the writing skills and then agree to produce the 4 song ep on the band's own label for Tidal Wave Productions. Followed a creative period with 40 or so songs that were recorded in Ken's house on a teac 4 track recorder. Lack of commercial recording success and feeling somewhat leery of the impending "new romantic /synthesiser" sound, The GO broke up in 1982.