Categorized | Pop Academy, The Guru Zone

POP ACADEMY 1 – A Jangly History – Part Four

Posted on 19 November 2011

JANGLY MUSIC PRIMER – THE 1980S

by Eric Sorensen

BACKGROUND: For this installment of my Jangly Music Recommendations, I’ll discuss artists/songs from the 80s. New wave, mod and retro musical forces all made artists and audiences comfortable again with melodic pop tunes that featured Rickenbacker guitars. By the late 80s, the “pop renaissance” was well underway -as more and more indie pop artists recorded and released “pseudo 60s” pop albums and songs. As noted in my previous feature, this list is hardly comprehensive, but it provides Pop Geek Heaven website readers with a good launching point for those of you who are similarly inclined to crank up the treble setting on their stereos and listen to those Rickenbacker 12-string guitars jangle, chime and ring!

The Eighties:

REM -As soon as “Radio Free Europe” began climbing the charts in 1982, critics began to compare REM’s jangly sound with the Byrds. The Reckoning CD, released in 1984 on IRS Records, best exemplifies the band’s Byrdsian sound. Peter Buck and Michael Stipe used to kiddingly say “We never heard of the Byrds.” Songs like “Pretty Persuasion,” “South Central Rain” and “Seven Chinese Brothers” proved otherwise. Even though this band has gone in many different directions since their folk-rock beginnings in Athens, Georgia, Peter Buck still adds a Rickenbacker 12-string flourish to some of their newer tunes. REM has occasionally performed with Roger McGuinn. Seek out a bootleg disc of a May 1988 McGuinn performance in Athens, backed by “the Southern Gentlemen” -entitled The Byrds Fly South. The sound quality is inconsistent, but the disc does include the unreleased gem “The Tears.”   I think it’s fair to say that REM became the most influential band of the 80s – spawning numerous soundalike bands (including the early Gin Blossoms on their Dusted LP) and being covered by many garage bands of that decade.  I will write about many of these artists in a future feature entitled “Sounds Like REM.”

Marshall Crenshaw -When Crenshaw released his self-titled debut album in 1982, the song “Cynical Girl” had enough jangle to draw comparisons with the Byrds. In a recent interview, Crenshaw admitted to being a longtime admirer of Roger McGuinn -citing McGuinn’s picking style on his Rickenbacker 12-string as one of the “truly unique guitar sounds” to emerge during the rock era.

 

Crowded HouseI Feel Possessed EP (1989) -included live versions of three Byrds songs performed with Roger McGuinn.

 

Red Rockers -“Eve Of Destruction” featured on the Oglio Good As Gold/Schizophrenic Circus CD. This 80s band added a little bit of Barry McGuire, a little bit of chiming Byrds guitars and some power pop snap to this excellent 1984 single.

 

The Long Ryders -A Sid Griffin-fronted band that emerged from the L.A. Paisley Pop scene in the mid 80s to its height with the release of the 1987 album Two Fisted Tales. The album included a number of Byrds-inspired tunes like “Gunslinger Man” (which I heard first on San Diego’s 91X radio station) and “Spectacular Fall.” During the band’s early years, Gene Clark used to join them onstage for live performances; Clark even sang with them on “Ivory Tower.” Griffin, along with his Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, created a “signature” sound of his own with the Long Ryders.

Dramarama -Seek out their 1989 album Stuck In Wonderamaland (on Chameleon Records). The song “Lullabye” is worth the price of admission, and it has all the elements of a classic Byrds tune.

EIEIO -“Words Falling Down” on the That Love Thang album (Frontier Records). This is another single Byrdsian song that made the entire disc worth purchasing.

Walking Wounded -An L.A. folk-rock band that recorded the superb song, “Raging Winds Of Time,” on its 1989 album by the same title. The song is a terrific Byrdsian tune that combines mandolin and 12-string guitar together as well as any country-rock, alt-country or pop-rock band has.

 

The Windbreakers -Bobby Sutliff and Tim Lee knew how to jangle back in the 80s. Find a copy of Electric Landlady (on db Records) and enjoy “Girl From Washington” … as well as the other 17 jangly tracks. Also seek out their other full-length disc, At Home With Bobby & Tim.

Richard Thompson -After listening to “Dead Man’s Handle” and “Nearly In Love” on Thompson’s Daring Adventures disc, one could consider him the British folk-rock cousin to Roger McGuinn. Thompson is quite nimble on his own 12-string guitar. In fact, I saw Thompson and McGuinn together in the early 90s. They sang a three-song

mini-set together that included “Wild Mountain Thyme.”

The Beach Boys (or is that the Beach Byrds?) -A great version of “California Dreamin'” appeared on the band’s 1986 Made In The USA album. Twenty-four other Beach Boys anthems go with this gem that features Roger McGuinn’s unmistakable 12­string signature sound!

 

The Field Mice -Track down the compilation disc Where’d You Learn To Kiss That Way? and you’ll discover numerous jangly tunes. The most Byrdsian song in the bunch is “If You Need Someone.”

 

Jimmy Silva -One of the greatest “finds” in my collecting efforts was to acquire a copy of the Heidi (ESD) album by Jimmy Silva and the Goats. “City Of Sisterly Love” is a soaring Byrdsian song (combining 12-string guitar and mandolin) that highlights the other 23 pop gems. Jimmy may be gone, but he left behind a timeless body of jangly music. Freddie Steady Krc and a number of contemporary artists paid their respects to Silva in the 2009 tribute disc Through A Faraway Window: A Tribute To Jimmy Silva (on the Steady Boy Records label) – a disc that is also well worth seeking out.

The SquireBig Smashes CD on Tangerine Records. “September Gurls” (an oft-covered tune that lends itself to jangly treatment) and many of the other 23 songs also jangle.

The SomelovesSomething Or Other (White Label) The outstanding late 80s disc by the Someloves (Dom Mariani ofDM3, Darryl Mather of the Orange Humble Band and the production/musical talents of Mitch Easter).

Bobby SutliffOnly Ghosts Remain (1987, Passport PVC) Whether he performs solo or in a band, Bobby can’t escape those 12-string riffs!

Fire Town -1987’s In The Heart Of The Heart Country is as superb a Midwestern jangle pop album as one will find. The hit single “Carry The Torch” had Byrds influences from start to finish!

 

The Connells – The Boylan Heights and Darker Days albums put this band on the map, and they jangled with songs like “Scotty’s Lament,” “Elegance,” “OT2,” “1934” and “Darker Days.”  90s singles – like “Get A Gun” and “Slackjawed” – gave the band some well-deserved airplay, and this sextet churned out a succession of fine albums until they called it quits.  I had the pleasure of seeing them perform live on two different occasions, and I can vouch for the fact that their studio craftsmanship carried over smoothly onto the concert stage.

 

The Bangles – This all-female band may have started as an obscure post-punk garage band, but they emerged center stage from the L.A. Paisley Underground scene with 1985’s Different Light.  Susanna Hoffs usually had one or two Rickenbacker guitars at the ready, and the guitar maker issued a signature model under her name.  The Bangles’ cover of Big Star’s “September Gurls” demonstrated their penchant for chiming guitar riffs, and it carried forward onto their subsequent releases.

 

“There She Goes” – by the La’s.  A great song that belongs in the “Jangly One-Hit Wonder” Hall of Fame!  Find a used copy of the So I Married An Axe Murderer soundtrack CD, and you’ll have two versions of this song – by the La’s and the Boo Radleys.

 

The Barracudas – While the band may have formed in the 70s, they peaked in the 80s with an appealing blend of pseudo-60s pop that fell into the Flamin’ Groovies ouvre.  Seek out two excellent compilation discs: The Complete EMI Recordings (on Dojo) or Through The Mysts of Time: Rarities 1978-1991 (Snowdome Records).  Their song “I Wish It Could Be 1965 Again” says it all!

 

The Feelies – part Velvet Underground, part REM; this Hoboken band perfected the muted strumming variety of jangle-pop that many bands have emulated.  I am indebted to WHFS DJ “Weasel” for introducing me to this band by playing Higher Ground” from the band’s Only Life album … and also playing the Feelies’ excellent version of “Dancing Barefoot.”  I went to an Iggy Pop show back in the 90s, and the sound technician played the entire Only Life album between the warm-up act and Iggy Pop’s set.

 

Tommy Keene – TK is a charter member of my Power Pop All-Star Band.  I have every disc he has ever released.  If you must limit yourself to just one, purchase The Real Underground (Alias) which showcases 23 tracks – including Tommy’s cool version of the power pop classic “Shake Some Action.”  I attended a Jackson Browne/Bonnie Raitt/CSN show in the early 90s, and the sound technician played The Real Underground before the show and between sets.  It was a real tease, until I discovered the disc at San Diego’s Off The Record shop two years later.

 

George Harrison – Sir George – who popularized the Rickenbacker 12-string guitar and inspired Roger McGuinn to adopt the instrument that gave the Byrds their signature sound – returned to the top of the charts with 1987’s Cloud Nine album.  “Fish On The Sand” featured the same sparkling Rickenbacker riffs that George was known for in the mid-60s.

 

The Travelin’ Wilburys – “Inside Out.”  This side project group – a collaboration between Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne – had several hit songs, but jangleholics had to smile when they heard the tune “Inside Out” – with its classic George Harrison chorus and jangly guitar riffs.  Jeff Lynne was at the top of his game during the late 80s – producing albums by the Travelin’ Wilburys, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, ELO, Tom Petty and Del Shannon.

 

The Smithereens – Lead guitarist Jim Babjak always had a Rickenbacker guitar at the ready, and it chimed conspicuously on “House We Used To Live In” on the band’s 1987 Green Thoughts album.

 

Until I discuss the 90s, jangle on!

7 Responses to “POP ACADEMY 1 – A Jangly History – Part Four”

  1. David Bailey says:

    Fire Town could not have been without Spooner.

  2. Mark Boersma says:

    Loving this series, Eric. I own a 12-string Ricky and you know why….

  3. Mark Haggard says:

    A great series! BTW- that Crowded House EP also was known by it’s clever sub-title “Byrd House”. Thanks Eric, for your very thorough archiving of all this great music.

  4. Papaya SF says:

    Perhaps Voice of the Beehive deserves a mention here?

  5. Rob Coombs says:

    I would add The Producers and XTC to this list as well.

  6. The Raves says:

    Sorry about the late response. As the Producers were mentioned above, I wanted to mention that before they were called “The Producers”, they made pop music as Cartoon. I’d add a few other Pop groups from the same area that were playing and recording at the same time… The Neuz, The Rabbits, Russ Davis and my group The Raves. All have recordings scattered throughout the internet.

  7. dudeman says:

    THAT is precisely what LOST TREASURES on this site needs to be about – anyone that knows a bit of about lost bands that are in your area – or that you are aware – we need you to write up something to share on this site.

    (THE RAVES will be featured soon PGH, btw…)