These guys were in the Paisley Underground movement in the 1980s. They should be a classic band but they never broke through to the masses.
The Paisley Underground Scene had many different types of bands. The sound they all had was not united. Bands like Green on Red more of a country-ish/stones rock and roll, Rain Parade more of a Beatles type, The Bangles were more of a pop/rock band. The scene had about any thing you would want except major hits…The Bangles are the ones that really broke through.
Death and Angels
In the event (In the event) Of sudden disaster (sudden disaster) Just look into a face (look into a face) That matters
Death and angels (death and angels) On the ground (on the ground) Death and angels (death and angels) I swear Fly around (fly around)
(ahh ahh) In the case of a sudden (ahh ahh) Point of view (ahh ahh) (ahh ahh) Just listen to your heart (ahh ahh) I swear (ahh ahh) That’s what’s true (ahh ahh)
Death and angels (ahh ahh) On the ground (ahh ahh) I swear Death and angels (death and angels) Flying (fly around)
Seems so dark and lonely Seems … Feels so cool Oh no — The lack of compassion (in the world) in our world
This is garage rock/punk and hits you right between the eyes. The Lime Spiders formed in 1979 in the Liverpool area (not that Liverpool) of Western Sydney Australia around a core of vocalist Mick Blood and guitarist Darryl Mather.
They played a mixture of blend of power pop, psychedelia and 60s garage punk and they won a lot of fans in Australia.
Allmusic has this to say… Lime Spiders were an Australian post-punk unit resurrecting the trashier elements of ’60s garage and psychedelic rock with willful abandon. Bless them for that! And more power to them for doing it in the middle of the 80s. Rolling Stone magazine once described them at times as The Sex Pistols on acid…that about sums it up.
In 1988 they released the Weirdo Libido single, which appeared on the soundtrack to an Australian film called Young Einstein but after that they broke up. They did reunite in 1992 and again in 1997…they were together in some form or another until 2009. They last released an album in 2007.
They released 12 LP’s and EP’s all together with several singles. This one was released in 1984 as a single only at the time.
Slave Girl
Let me tell you ’bout a girl I know I drag her around wherever I go This little woman drives me insane She’s tied to my ankle with a ball and chain
For sixteen years she’s been hangin’ around Try’n’ to bury me in a hole in the ground Well I think it’s time that I even the score There’s only room for one in this cage of yours
Don’t save me when I’m startin’ to drown Don’t use me when you don’t want me around Just be my slave girl ’cause that’s all I need So take a little step back to the stone age with me. Go!
Well I hear a strange noise as I lie in my bed I feel a lotta water drippin’ on my head I look around tried to see through my hair You left me alone, but do you think I care?
‘Cause you moved me when I was takin’ my time You abused me when I’m outta line You tried to warn me of the danger sign So watch out, go
Well, you got me in the bondage of another age You drive me to distraction in a primitive way I can’t control my instincts when I hear her say “Just come around and see me if you lose your way”
So join my chain gang play along with me I’ll be your caveman, it’s basic as can be I’m not insane, man, I’m just outta my dream
Great up tempo power pop song. Three O’Clock came from the Paisley Underground movement in the 80s. They were a mixture of 60s psychedelia and early 80s pop sensibilities.
The Three O’Clock was a rock group associated with Los Angeles’ Paisley Underground scene in the early 1980s. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term “Paisley Underground” to describe bands such as Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green On Red and the Bangles from the area. The Three O’Clock was originally formed under the name The Salvation Army in 1981 but then changed it’s name to Three O’Clock when legal problems with the actual Salvation Army forced the band to change their name.
This song was on the EP called Baroque Hoedown released in 1982. They later had a college hit with a song called Jet Fighter.
After signing with I.R.S. Records they got MTV play with a song called Her Head’s Revolving. After that Prince signed them to his own Paisley Park Records and they made one album and vanished. They did record a song Prince wrote for them called Neon Phone.
They had a reunion of the classic line-up, Michael Quercio (vocals/bass), Louis Gutierrez (guitars) & Danny Benair (drums) — were joined by new member Adam Merrin (keyboards). The group played both weekends of the Coachella festival, and also played on Conan on April 10, 2013.
They later embarked on a mini-tour, and released several archival recordings that same year. The final show at the time was at a record store in Long Beach California in June of 2013.
As of 2018 they reunited band remained active touring around California.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin band Violent Femmes are best known for their song Blister in the Sun released in 1983. A girl that I knew drove me crazy playing that song but after a while I started to like it…more than the girl. The song started to be played on alternative and college radio.
James Honeyman Scott (Pretenders guitar player) was booked to play a gig and he was so impressed by the Violent Femmes that he let them open for him. They were were then offered a record deal by Slash Records and soon after that they released their 1982 debut album, “Violent Femmes.” The album slowly hit and later went platinum.
This song was on their Why Do Birds Sing? album in 1991 and it was their fifth studio album. The album peaked at #141 in the Billboard Album Chart but the song peaked at #2 on Billboard‘s Modern Rock chart.
Through breakups and reunions the band minus the original drummer Victor DeLorenzo are still together. Gordon Gano is the singer- songwriter and Brian Ritchie is the bass player with new drummer John Sparrow.
They released an album in 2019 called Hotel Last Resort and it peaked at #29 in the Billboard Indie Charts.
American Music
Can I, can I put in something like… “This is “American Music”… take one.” 1-2-3-4! Do you like American music? I like American music. Don’t you like American music, baby?
I want you to hold me, I want your arms around me. I want you to hold me, baby… Did you do too many drugs? I did too many drugs. Did you do too many drugs, too, baby?
You were born too late, I was born too soon, But every time I look at that ugly moon, it reminds me of you. It reminds me of you… ooh-ooh-ooh.
I need a date to the prom, would you like to come along? But nobody would go to the prom with me, baby… They didn’t like American music, they never heard American music. They didn’t know the music was in my soul, baby…
You were born too soon, I was born too late, But every time I look at that ugly lake, it reminds me of me. It reminds me of me…
Do you like American music? We like American music. I like American music… Baby. Do you like American music? We like all kinds of music. But I like American music best… baby.
You were born too late, and I was born too late, But every time I look at that ugly lake, It reminds me of me… It reminds me of me It reminds me of me Do you like american music It reminds me of me Do you like american music It reminds me of me Do you like american music It reminds me of me I like american music It reminds me of me She like american music It reminds me of me I like american music It reminds me of me She like american music It reminds me of me I like american music It reminds me of me She like american music It reminds me of me I like american music It reminds me of me She like american music It reminds me of me I like american music It reminds me of me She like american music It reminds me of me
When Tattoo You came out I bought the single Start Me Up and couldn’t get enough of it…yea I have had about enough of it now. I bought the album played it non stop. 10 years later a friend and I took a trip to Pensacola after playing a gig and this album was on all of the way. This song stood out at the time because I skipped the hits. Mick sings it in a falsetto voice that works well.
The Stones dug down deep in their vaults for this album because they wanted to tour in 1980. They had released Some Girls in 78, Emotional Rescue in 80, and Tattoo You in 1981 and needed some songs. This song’s origins go back to 1976’s Black and Blue.
This song features a guitar solo by Wayne Perkins, who had once auditioned as a potential replacement for Mick Taylor, and Billy Preston on keyboards.
Tattoo You peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, #1 in Canada, and #2 in the UK in 1981.
Worried About You
Sometime I wonder why you do these things to me Sometime I worry girl that you ain’t in love with me
Sometime I stay out late, yeah I’m having fun Yes, I guess you know by now that you ain’t the only one
Yeah-hey, oh baby Ooh, sweet things that you promised me babe, yeah Seemed to go up in smoke Yeah, vanish like a dream Baby I wonder why you do these things to me
Cause I’m worried I just can’t seem to find my way, baby
Ooh, the nights I spent just waiting on the sun, yeah Just like your burned out cigarette You threw away my love Why did you do that baby
I wonder why, why you do these things to me well, oh
I’m worried Lord, I’ll find out anyway Sure gonna find myself a girl someday ‘Til then I’m worried Yeah, I just can’t seem to find my way Ooh
Yeah, I’m a hard working man When did I ever do you wrong? Yeah, I get all my money baby, yeah I bring it, I bring it all home Yeah, I’m telling the truth, yeah
Well, sweet things, sweet things that you promised me
Well I’m worried and I just can’t seem to find my way, baby
I’m worried about you, yeah I’m worried about you, yeah Tell you something now I’m worried ’bout you (oh, yeah) I’m worried ’bout you, child (oh, yeah) I’m worried ’bout you, woman (oh, yeah) That’s come on, tell you something now I’m worried ’bout you (oh, yeah) I’m worried about you (aw yeah), yeah
Yeah, I’m worried Lord, I’ll find out anyway Sure as Hell I’m gonna find that girl someday Lord, I’m worried Lord, I just can’t seem to find my way
Sixteen Blue was inspired by bassist Tommy Stinson. Tommy played his first gig with the Replacements in June of 1980 when he was just 13. The other members were 5-6 years older than Tommy.
Westerberg had witnessed how Stinson had been forced to grow up way faster than most kids, yet still faced the typical teenage issues and doubts. Westerberg also said it was about his lonely teenage years.
The song is on their Let It Be album released in 1984. Let It Be was the first of a three album stretch (Let It Be, Tim, Please To Meet Me) that they are probably best remembered for today.
Peter Jesperson (manager):“Hearing it the first time they did it, at a sound check in Boston, I thought, Jesus, he’s written a song about Tommy.”“Tommy was kind of the mascot of the band, and Paul had written about him in songs before. But this wasn’t just some goofy thing. This was serious and tender.”
Paul Westerberg on why they named the album Let It Be
“We were riding around . . . kicking around silly [album] names and we thought, ‘The next song that comes on the radio, we’ll name it after that.”
“We peed our pants [laughing], and Peter (manager and Beatles fan) is at the wheel, silent as hell, thinking, ‘They’re not going to do this, ““We did it pretty much to piss him off and pretty much to show the world, in a Ramones kind of way, how dumb-smart we were. . . . Just to figure how many feathers we can ruffle.”
Sixteen Blue
Drive yourself right up the wall No one hears and no one calls It’s a boring state It’s a useless wait, I know
Brag about things you don’t understand A girl and a woman, a boy and a man Everything is sexually vague Now you’re wondering to yourself If you might be gay
Your age is the hardest age Everything drags and drags One day, baby, maybe help you through Sixteen blue Sixteen blue
Drive your ma to the bank Tell your pa you got a date You’re lying, now you’re lying on your back
Try to figure out, they wonder what next you’ll pull You don’t understand anything sexual I don’t understand Tell my friends I’m doing fine
Your age is the hardest age Everything drags and drags You’re looking funny You ain’t laughing, are you? Sixteen blue Sixteen blue…
When I first heard this song in the 1980s…the instrument that stood out was the sitar. I’ve been in love with that instrument since I heard Norwegian Wood. I want one and if I find a cheap one I will get it. One strum and you are back in the sixties and it fit this song well…or this song fits the sitar.
After Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers toured in 1983, they took some time off, and Petty started working with Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics. This was the first song they wrote together, and the psychedelic sound was a big departure from Petty’s work with The Heartbreakers.
Petty released Southern Accents and it was going to be a double album produced by Stewart…but ended up being a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers single album, with Jimmy Iovine producing some songs and Stewart producing others. Personally I never thought this song fit with most of the other songs but I liked the album all the same.
Even in the 80s I wasn’t in love with videos after a few years but…this one I loved. It remains one of my favorite music videos.
The song peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100, #20 in Canada, #50 in the UK, and #42 in New Zealand in 1985.
From Songfacts
Stewart tells the full glorious story in The Dave Stewart Songbook, but here are the highlights: Eurythmics had a huge hit with “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” and became a phenomenon in the United States. They played the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, and Stewart met Stevie Nicks backstage after the show. She had broken up with Joe Walsh the day before, so she took Stewart home with her and they had a romantic encounter. The next morning, Stevie kicked him out, and Stewart flew to San Francisco for his next gig. After the show, he used a Portastudio to create a track using a drum machine, a synthesizer and a sitar. Reflecting on the last 24 hours, Stewart says: “I really liked Stevie and she seemed vulnerable and fragile when I was leaving that morning. I was thinking about that and the situation she was in and I started singing, ‘Don’t come around her no more.'”
A few days later Stewart was staying with producer Jimmy Iovine, who was working on Stevie’s Bella Donna album. Stewart played him his demo, and they started writing the song for Stevie. Stewart didn’t know that Nicks and Iovine were once a couple, and when she came over to record the song, tensions boiled over and she left in a huff. Iovine decided to give Tom Petty the song, and had him come by, where they finished it up. Petty and Nicks had worked with Iovine on the duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” which went on Stevie’s album, so it was only fair that Petty got this one.
The video used an Alice In Wonderland theme, which was Stewart’s idea – it reflected how he felt coming to Los Angeles. It was directed by Jeff Stein, who used a black-and-white tiled background and oversized, elaborate costumes starring Tom Petty as the Mad Hatter. Stewart appears in the beginning of the video playing the sitar on a giant mushroom. At the end, the girl becomes a cake and is eaten by the band, something that caused enough of a stir that they created a version where she doesn’t get eaten. The video was a huge hit on MTV, helping introduce Petty to a younger audience and building anticipation for his next videos. (Read our interview with Dave Stewart.)
MTV ordered a shot of a grinning Petty while Alice gets served edited out of the video before they would air it. “They said it was just too lascivious,” he told Billboard. “They were like, ‘Well, you can do it, but you can’t enjoy it that much.'”
Louise “Wish” Foley plays Alice in the video. At the casting call, she was dressed demure, like Alice would, while the other girls auditioning (mostly models) were to the nines. Foley went on to land roles in the TV series Santa Barbara and Family.
Don’t Come Around Here No More
Don’t come around here no more Don’t come around here no more Whatever you’re looking for Hey! don’t come around here no more
I’ve given up, I’ve given up I’ve given up on waiting any longer I’ve given up, on this love getting stronger
I don’t feel you any more you darken my door Whatever you’re looking for Hey! don’t come around here no more
I’ve given up, I’ve given up I’ve given up, you tangle my emotions I’ve given up, honey please admit it is over
[Chorus]
Stop walking down my street Who do you expect to meet? Whatever you’re looking for Hey! don’t come around here no more
I absolutely love this band’s sound…and you have to admit they were thinking outside of the box with the band name.
They were originally known as Squirrelbait Youth, with David Grubbs on guitar and vocals, Clark Johnson, Ben Daughtrey and Brian McMahan joined on second guitar.
They were known as a pop punk band that came out in 1983 from Louisville, Kentucky. Squirrel Bait (I love typing that) opened for such bands as Hüsker Dü and Chicago-based bands Naked Raygun and Big Black, who recommended Squirrel Bait to their label, Homestead Records.
Through Homestead, Squirrel Bait released an eponymous EP in 1985, a single in 1986 and an LP in 1987, all of which were later compiled onto a single CD. The Squirrel Bait record released in 1985 didn’t make any waves at first.. What helped them was Bob Mould from Husker Du and Evan Dando of the Lemonheads talking it up among others in the music press, people began to notice this band.
The band broke up in 1987 and most of the members joined other bands and David Grubbs did the same and started to release solo albums as late as 2017.
Sun God
I feel the power of the sun on my back So good That heat’s good That light has a mind to take it away
Take it away…
Let something go If it comes back it’s a good thing A good life A good feeling But it has a mind to take it away
Take it away… Take it away and it’s gone
I feel the power of the sun on my back So good…that heat’s good That light has a mind to take it away
This band had one of the most inspiring rises and the most devastating fall a band could have. They had the help of the biggest rock star in the 80s but that couldn’t stop what was coming. A truly sad story and a what might have been.
When Billy Rancher was a kid…he didn’t dream of rock stardom…it was baseball that he dreamed of. Billy’s father Joe was in the Dodgers minor league system. Billy was born in 1957 and he was an all-city shortstop at Madison High School and played ball for Mount Hood Community College on an athletic scholarship. His mom wanted Billy to finish his education, but his dad died in 1978, and Billy dropped out and concentrated on music.
He taught himself how to play guitar and started a band in Portland, the Malchicks, with his younger brother Lenny. That band soon broke up and Billy formed the Unreal Gods with Jon DuFresne, Bill Flaxel, Alf Rider, and Dave Stricker. The band was a hit in the Portland club scene…they even opened up for Peter Tosh at one point. At this time around 1981, Billy found out that he had cancer. He went to the hospital and he was cleared of cancer afterward.
The band raised some money and went to New York to record for Joe Delia, a session musician and independent producer.
They rehearsed at an auto-body shop, a favorite rehearsal spot for local bands. They noticed someone walking through…and that someone was Bruce Springsteen. Bruce helped to get the Unreal Gods into the Power Station…a famous studio…which was the place to record in the Big Apple. The Rolling Stones were putting down tracks there at the time.
Clive Davis, head of the Arista label, heard about this Portland band that had impressed Bruce Springsteen and hopped a flight to see them. Davis, caught an Unreal Gods show at the club Starry Night. He signed them the next day.
The label hired Men at Work producer Peter McIan to produce them. Right away the band were at odds with Mclan…he wanted to take their rawness away. Billy argued with him and the band agreed they would have found common ground but it was not meant to be. At this time Billy found out his cancer had come back. The label was sending the band to England to tour but that was put on hold…permanently
Billy fought the cancer and he was thought to be cleared but it then spread through his body. Billy Rancher died on December 2, 1986. He played live up until before he died.
In 2019 an album named Upstroke Down was released and featured some of the songs they were working on for Arista and others that sat in the vaults…including Uptown.
Jon DuFresne:Stuff started showing up on YouTube, I’d think, Wow, that was me. There we all are. There’s Billy. Did that really happen?
These garage bands were a breath of fresh air in the 80s. They sound like their 60’s predecessors but with an updated sound.
The Miracle Workers were formed in January 1982 in Chicago by Gerry Mohr, and Joel Barnett. The original guitarist and drummer left the band early on. Matt Rogers, a friend of Joel’s, became the guitarist. The band finally stabilized in 1984, with the addition of Dan Demiankow, and Gene Trautman.
They ended up recording 5 albums and 8 singles and EPs between 1984 and 1995. They play garage rock and fit with the revival acts, such as The Chesterfield Kings and Lyres that I have covered.
They broke up in 1992 because of musical differences. The band came together back in Portland to record their last album “Anatomy of a Creep” and released it in 1995.
You Know Why
You thought you’d be back here but it’s not that that it works for you, but you don’t know where it’s at You’ll know why when you learn to cry You can’t see through another’s eyes
Someday you’ll be hurt like others have been by you Can you feel the pain inside when there’s nothing you can do You’ll know why when you learn to cry You can’t see through another’s eyes
You could be who you want to be if you change your state of mind Look inside and you will find something you just can’t hide You’ll know why when you learn to cry You can’t see through another’s eyes
I love this band…it seems I have a fondness for bands that released good to great music but never could get over that hump to mass audiences. Maybe if they would have cleared that obstacle their music would have changed…but who knows… maybe it’s a part of their appeal.
This song comes out in 1997 and was on their Sound of Lies album. At first I thought it was about the Memphis band Big Star and it is kinda…and also about The Jayhawks and loving what you have now. The album peaked at #112 in the Billboard Album Chart and #61 in the UK.
They have a Kinks tie… They recently backed Ray Davies on his albums Americana and Our Country – Americana Act II. Their 2016 album Paging Mr. Proust was produced by Peter Buck of REM.
They formed in the mid-80s in the Twin Cities .
Gary Louris when asked if the song is about the band Big Star: “Not exactly. Maybe in the back of my mind.” “You could say it about the Velvet Underground or Big Star or The Jayhawks,” “world’s unluckiest bands. They should have been bigger. But everybody in the audience started a band. Everybody that saw them started a band. The old cliché. But it’s true.”
“I have a lot of famous friends.” “about achieving a place that you thought you wanted to be and maybe it would make you happy. It’s a typical human response. If I get there, then I’m finally going to be happy. And in reality, you probably won’t be. You should just be happy with what you have.”
Big Star
I’m flat-busted Wild-eyed and free I couldn’t get arrested if I tried A has-been at a mere thirty-five
Straight, honest, forthright and true Great expectations for someone Doesn’t anybody know how to have fun But I’m
Gonna be a Big Star I’m gonna be a Big Star someday I’m gonna be a Big Star someday
Grape’s bitter I’m no quitter Revolutions come one by one Seems it’s high noon and I ain’t got no gun
But it’s so hard So hard So hard getting by
Gonna be a Big Star I’m gonna be a Big Star someday I’m gonna be a Big Star someday
Fine bourbon, Cuban cigars Rude remarks observed at the C.C. Bar I’m perfecting the finest art of wasting hours But I’m
Gonna be a Big Star I’m gonna be a Big Star someday I’m gonna be a Big Star someday
I’m gonna be a Big Star I’m gonna be a Big Star someday
Game Theory was a power pop band founded by Scott Miller in 1982. I remember they got some MTV airplay. Miller was the only constant member of the band which changed members frequently. Game Theory got a lot of college play in the 80s.
Mitch Easter, who produced R.E.M. produced Game Theory. This song was on their album The Big Shot Chronicles which was praised when it was released and now. In the 2007 book Shake Some Action the album was #16 in the top 200 power pop albums of all time.
Scott Miller was a special songwriter. He influenced artists such as The New Pornographers, Jellyfish, Velvet Crush, Matthew Sweet, Ben Folds, Guided by Voices, and more.
Miller committed suicide in 2013. After Miller’s death, it emerged that he’d been planning a new Game Theory album with the working title, Supercalifragile. Miller’s widow enlisted The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow, along with some Game Theory bandmates, to finish the L.P. It was released in 2017.
There are many that compare him to Alex Chilton musically…and also in terms of being a really good songwriter that doesn’t beyond a cult following.
Alex Chilton and Scott Miller
Erika’s Word
Erica’s gone shy Some unknown X behind the why All is some less today Mass not conserving in the old way
Checking out with Brother Jay I’ll miss your half of me Girl are you leaving something You might later need?
Erica’s word, taking me clear and leaving me blurred Erica’s news, singing the praise and playing the blues Pulling the rug out under my shoes
Twelve years ago Shorthand allegiance to the long throw Make believe and pretend I remember when they served the same end
You always liked the photo of us Sitting in our car Just like we’re driving Girl it’s not looking like we’ll go all that far
Erica’s word, taking me clear and leaving me blurred Erica’s find, blowing my hair and tearing my mind Throwing for grabs and leaving behind
Maybe you’ll find that promised love The tingle to the touch Girl and I hope it comes through for you in a clutch But I wouldn’t bet much
Erica’s word, taking me clear and leaving me blurred Erica’s news, singing the praise and playing the blues Pulling the rug out under my shoes
Erica’s find, blowing my hair and tearing my mind Erica’s word, taking me clear and leaving me blurred Knocking me down from second to third
I’ve been posting bands that were in the Paisley Underground scene back in the 80s. This one is probably the most well known. Over the last few months I’ve become a fan of this 80s movement. For me…a better alternative to the top 40 at the time. I want to thank Dave at A Sound Day for introducing me to the song! They were called The Bangs before they released this song.
The Bangles were a breath of fresh air in the mid-eighties. The band played sixties inspired rock with Byrd’s chiming guitars. The lead singer, Susanna Hoffs, caught my eye right away. Yes for the normal ways but also for the fact she was playing a Rickenbacker guitar…what more could I want?
“Paisley Underground” was a moniker that helped music journalists describe their sound, which didn’t fit the New Wave or Rock. This song is an example of the genre, with a jangly guitar and ’60s-style reverb reminiscent of The Byrds or early Beatles. Other bands that fit this mode were The Rain Parade, The Dream Syndicate, and Rainy Day.
The scene also had a bit of early alt country rock (The Long Ryders and Green On Red) made more popular in the 90s.
The Real World was a song on the self titled EP the band released after signing with Miles Copeland’s I.R.S. Records. The EP wasn’t too successful but it did help get the band signed to the major label Columbia Records, which issued their first album called All Over The Place in 1984.
Guitarists Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson wrote this song. This is one of the few Bangles tracks bassist Annette Zilinskas played on; she left the group soon after, replaced by Michael Steele. The song was released on the small label Faulty Products.
Rain Parade covered this on a 2018 compilation called 3 x 4, where four Paisley Underground groups…Rain Parade, Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Three O’Clock – cover each others’ songs.
The Real World
Forgot to tell you Sins are very hard to say And you know that the words are there, my love When I first saw you I didn’t notice it that day Now you’re the one I’m thinking of.
[Chorus:] Oh, you never bring me down Make me sad, it’s such a change, oh yeah (oh yeah) If I was insecure That was yesterday and now I’m sure Oh, so sure (oh so sure, so sure).
When I was a little girl I wanted everything ideal Yeah, and a love I could depend on This is the real world And I believe our love is real And it’s the only thing I’m counting on.
[Chorus] Oh, you never bring me down Make me sad, it’s such a change, oh yeah (oh yeah) If I was insecure That was yesterday and now I’m sure Oh, so sure.
[Chorus] Oh, you never bring me down Make me sad, it’s such a change, oh yeah (oh yeah) If I was insecure That was yesterday and now I’m sure Oh, so sure, oh.
This is the real world I really want to be your girl This is the real world (real world) I really want to be your girl This is the real world (real world) I really want to be your girl.
The lyrics won’t make you mistake these guys for Bob Dylan but the guitar action is pretty cool in this one.
Several years before it became fashionable…the Droogs were playing what would later be called “garage revival”. They started playing together as pre-teens in 1966 and began issuing singles in the early to mid seventies.
Ahead of My Time was released in 1974. They missed out on the garage band sixties and they were ahead of the curve of the 60s garage band revival in the late 70’s.
They started to release albums in the mid-eighties and were part of the Paisley Underground Scene. They released 8 albums between 1984 to 2017.
The Droogs just released an album in 2017 called Young Gun and are still together doing their thing.
Ahead Of My Time
Hey babe, this must be your lucky day babe I wanna kiss you if I may babe Don’t care what people have to say babe
I’ve got to love you, the only way that I can So please don’t misunderstand They’ll tell you that I’m not your kind But I’m just ahead of my time.
In your neighborhood, got a reputation that’s none too good. For knowing things no young man should I know baby, you would if you could
I’ve got to love you, the only way that I can So please don’t me be your man They’ll tell you true love’s hard to find But I’m just ahead of my time. I’m just ahead of my time. I’m just ahead of my time.
We’re just ahead of our time. We’re just ahead of our time. We’re just ahead of our time.
Hey babe, this must be your lucky day babe I wanna kiss you if I may babe Don’t care what people have to say babe
I’ve been listening to the Rain Parade’s album Emergency Third Rail Power Trip and I’ve heard influences from Buffalo Springfield to Rubber Soul. The Rain Parade were part of the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the early 80s. The Paisley Underground scene contained bands such as The Bangles, Green on Red, and The Long Ryders.
They were another band formed in Minnesota by college roommates Matt Piucci (guitar, vocals) and David Roback (guitar, vocals) in 1981, while they were attending Carleton College. David’s brother Steven Roback (bass, vocals) joined.
Their roots were in punk music but in this band…instead of the Sex Pistols and the Clash they went for the Byrds jangly guitars. The critics were mixed on this band…some saying they copied the psychedelic era too much and others saying they were ahead of their time. The Roback brothers were the main writers. After this album Dave Roback left the band.
From Wiki: Critic Jim DeRogatis would later write in his book Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock (2003) that “Emergency Third Rail Power Trip is not only the best album from any of the Paisley Underground bands, it ranks with the best psychedelic rock efforts from any era”, with uplifting melodies offset by themes that were “dark and introspective.”
They were together from 1981 to 1986. They broke up in 1986 and reformed in 2012 and have been touring since. Dave Roback passed away in 2020.
Daveid Roback: “Rain Parade was very much a recasting of our punk interests in more musical terms, inspired by our fascination with music history.”
One Half Hour Ago
What’s the point of looking back?
All you see is an empty track
Of lives you’ve lived
And things you tried to love
What’s the use of anything
That brings you down?
You can’t believe it for an hour
You’re in here just a while
Half an hour from an hour ago
From a half an hour from an hour ago
Call me early on Saturday
It’s my favorite day
I’ll come out to play
That is only, I go to bed
So that I can rest
I can leave my head behind
Disappointing everyone
I’m so much fun
Until I’m lost
Things we do are the way we choose to live
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